Child of Frost
by Nuredhel
Summary: Sometimes the end is just that, the end, but sometimes destiny has a few tricks up her sleeve. When a prophecy seemingly is naught but a cruel lie a young elleth has to discover her true strength and determination. Can she adapt to a world so very different from the one she is used to, can her dreams ever come true? or where it all just a childs dream?
1. Woman of flame

Chapter one: Woman of flame

The day when the older females came to take her child name away from her had been the happiest of her life so far. Her mother had been very proud, she had wept and laughed at the same time, trying to sing along with the other females as the village shaman cut off the girl's child lock. From now on she would never again cut her hair, as it was custom in their clan. The females of the clan of the leopard were proud of their long flowing hair, and rightly so. She had envied her mother her thick dark locks, so long they reached her knees and shiny like polished stones. Now she would grow her own mane and from now on she was Aytha Un Or, woman of flames. The name was chosen because of her flaming red hair, a heritage from her sire, Walks in silence. He too had red hair, and it made him very sought after by the females but it was only Aytha's mother, Reba Dir Or, woman who dances, who had been his mate and born him a daughter. Others had born him sons, but in this clan sons were welcomed and daughters celebrated. It was the way it had to be, the way it always had been.

When her child lock had been removed and her new name announced she and some other girls also come of age were taken to the sacred hut where the shaman would tell them what sort of life they would live, and most importantly, if they ever would find a real mate and have cubs. One of the other girls was before Aytha, her name was Ishi Eba Or, woman who fishes, and she was Aytha's best friend. She was told that she would be joined with her true mate rather soon, and that she would have two cubs. The shaman said that her mate would have black hair and a scar on his face. The other girls immediately started to giggle, the silence in the hut had been absolute and the atmosphere tense and loaded since they all wanted to know these things. One of the girls made an obscene gesture. "Ishi, sounds like you are going to carry the cubs of Running slowly."

Ishi stretched her tongue out, Running slowly was one of the younger males of the clan and he was given the name because he had rather short legs and was very stocky in build. " Well at least he is strong!"

The shaman sent the girls a strict glance. "Silence young ones, Aytha was it?"

Aytha nodded, she felt herself tremble with anxious energy, who would she find to be her true mate? She wanted that so bad, they all did. Only with a true mate would you be able to conceive a cub and all the girls were just dying to have a cub of their own. Having a child meant that you were no longer addressed as N'shay, huntress, but Matay, lifegiver. The mothers of the clan didn't really have to do much work themselves for there would always be a small horde of young ones eager to take care of a cub while the mother worked with something else. Cubs were precious to the clan, and those who bore many children seen as blessed and special. The shaman hummed and stretched out a hand, put it on Aytha's forehead. "Oh young one, I see such fire in you. You are strong, and you have to be, I see much sorrow ahead."

Aytha felt her heart drop. "Sorrow?"

The shaman nodded, there were shadows in her eyes. "Yes, but it is yet far ahead young one, worry not. It will be alright."

Ishi hollered. "Her mate, her mate, do you see her mate?"

The shaman had to grin, these young ones, just robbed of their status as children hadn't yet learned to act with the dignified calm of a woman. Some never did but most calmed down eventually. " I do see Aytha's mate yes, he is very tall and very strong and his hair is as golden as the sun itself"

Aytha felt herself blush down to her toes, a golden haired mate? Ishi cheered. " Lion clan, Aytha is gonna find her mate in the lion clan!"

The lion clan was the largest of the clans and most of the males were blonde and rather tall, since the clan was so large it was strong and they had many things and they rarely had to starve. Aytha swallowed hard, a male of the lion clan, that was quite a catch. The shaman told the other girls their fortune too and Aytha didn't really listen, she was too caught by her own thoughts. The shaman hadn't said if it would happen soon though, she hoped it would. They hadn't met with the other clans in many summers and it was about time that they sought them out again to trade and find new mates for the young ones. Aytha knew that she wouldn't find a true mate within her own clan, they had some sort of instinct that prevented them from being joined with a relative and every male in the clan was more or less related to Aytha's mother. She could bring any male she wanted to her bed furs for some fun except from her own father and her brothers but she would only be truly mated with someone not off her own blood. The shaman said it was good that way, that it prevented cubs from being born weak or ill.

When the girls all had been told their fortune they were brought outside again, the older females would bless them and rub them with the blood of a freshly killed deer and then they would wade across the river and wash it off, it did symbolize a rebirth, into a new life as an adult woman. Now they no longer could play with dolls, or act silly. They would have to work and make themselves useful and they would be respected and looked upon as keepers of the life of the clan. The females were the most important members of the clan, the ones who kept their past alive and made sure that the people would continue into the future.

If they did a mistake they would be scolded from now on, as children they could have done pretty much whatever they liked and be excused, not anymore. Aytha had to swallow hard not to cry as her old doll was being burned, along with everything else she had owned as a child. Her mother came and embraced her, addressing her as onye, sister, not adye, daughter. Now she was one of the women, no longer one of the children and she was allowed to do the things women did. Her stomach tingled with nervous energy, there was yet one thing left of the ritual and it was the one part most of the girls were anxious about.

When Aytha were younger she had been very curious about what the adults were doing when they were two or more in the bed furs and making lots of odd and funny sounds. Sometimes they screamed too and she had gotten a bit scared when her mother and her current mate hid in the furs and made those sounds. Her sister said they were having fun but how could anything that made people scream be fun? Aytha knew that people screamed when they were scared, or were in pain. One of the hunters, Two teeth, had broken his leg on a rock and they had pulled it back into place and it had made him scream a lot. It had been terrible. And when Soru had gotten that gorgeous little cub of hers she too had been screaming from inside of the midwife's hut, Aytha wondered why. Later she had of course realized that the sounds were made because they felt good doing it but that didn't mean that she wasn't nervous. The females of the clans were not allowed to let a male touch them while they still had their child name, if a male did try to bed a female that young he would be banished and to most banishment meant death. You couldn't survive on your own, simple as that.

The girls were rubbed with some sweet smelling pollen, then the older females started chanting and each were brought to a small hut where a male waited for them. The older females did choose which male would fit each girl and make her feel calm and ready to fully become a woman. Being chosen was a great honor and the males chosen were usually among the older more experienced ones, males in control of themselves and able to make even the most nervous female feel good. Everybody knew that the ones who had enjoyed this ceremony would become the best in bed, they would bed many males and bear many cubs and make the clan strong. The spirit of a female was seen as very strong, way stronger than that of a male and so the males would be strengthened whenever they were with a female. The hunters would always lay with a female before they went hunting certain species. It was believed that the spirit of the animals were stronger than the spirits of the males, and if the males did die during the hunt the animal spirit would devour theirs if it hadn't been strengthened by a female first. Even the males who normally only sought other males would find a willing female before such hunts, it was just the way it always had been.

Aytha had often asked her mother why the males were so different from the females, and why they were treated in different ways. The females would keep their adult name their whole life and they would be protected and cherished just for being female. The males on the other hand would be named after things they had done, or certain signs, and the names could be rather odd at times. A male would have to struggle to get some status and power, everything depended upon his skills and luck. Their names would change with their status, and so would their popularity. The females would move to other clans if they found a mate there, the males had to stay put, and the males were the ones to do the dangerous jobs like hunting large animals. Aytha had wondered why this was the rule and her mother had explained that the clan could survive if it lost many males, but not when many females were lost. A male could sire many cubs but a female could only get a new cub when the first one had been weaned, which took four years, so a male was expendable, a female was not. Losing a female was a tragedy for the entire clan, losing a male much less so. To a mother it was a glorious and wonderful day when her daughter came of age and became a woman, but it was a day of sorrow when a son came of age. Now he would be required to join the hunts and he would be in danger almost every day. The young hunters were the ones most likely to die, if they did make it through the first tens they usually lived on but normally they lost at least two hunters every turn of the seasons. It was just normal, the mothers would grieve but the grief would be way worse if they lost a daughter.

Aytha had a brother who already had come of age, and she remembered that he had been terrified when they told him that it was time for his transformation. The day was joyous to the females but far from it for the young males. Now they were expected to put their lives on the line and they would no longer be treated with respect, now they would have to earn it. The boys too would have their child lock cut off, and their old toys and clothing burned. They would be nameless until someone came up with a suitable name and from that day on everybody older than them would have the right to order them around. The final part of the transformation was the worst one, Aytha remembered seeing her brother afterwards, limping, pale and red eyed, in obvious pain and no longer allowed to seek out his mother for comfort. The young males would be stripped down and clad in the hide of a deer. Then they would be chased through the camp by the other males and when someone managed to catch the lad he would be nicked with a spear on his neck, a sort of ritual "kill" to show that the child was dead. And then the males of the clan would mount him the way they would mount a female, to show dominance and make sure that he didn't become cocky due to his new status as an adult. He was still the underdog until someone younger came of age.

Aytha knew it hurt the young males horribly, and they were not allowed to cry while the other males made use of them thus. They could scream or curse but not cry, only children did cry. The chief would always be the last one to take the young ones, since he was the leader, the strongest one. Aytha did pity the young males, their lives were much harder than that of a female. Any young male who did break down and cry were regarded as flawed and weak and he would have to stay in a hut away from the others for a whole year before the ceremony would be repeated. During that time he was regarded as being dead, nobody was to speak to him and the only contact happened through the shaman who left some food by the hut every now and then. It was seen as a horrible fate and he would rarely ever gain a high status, no matter how skilled he became. It would haunt him for life.

Aytha was the last of the young ones to be lead to a hut, a woman by the name of Nimh ardei or, woman who sews, took her by the hand and smiled, stopped by a hut. Aytha felt herself shiver ever so slightly, one of her friends had come of age the year before and they had met afterwards and Rusha ardei or, woman who smiles, had told her that it had hurt to begin with, but then it felt wonderful and the nervous energy she felt made her want to run and hide. But she was an adult now, she had to face her fears and be brave. The women of the clan of the leopard were not cowards, they would hunt the smaller game and even fight if they needed to, she would honor her mother's blood.

The hut was small and made from strong branches and thick hides from buffalo and mammoth, there was just a little light in there since only a fat lamp was used as a light source but she did see who the older women had chosen for her, and it made her gasp and stare. It was the chief himself, One ice. He carried that name now because he was so old he could remember the last time the ice of the far north had started to slide south like an unstoppable wall. The tribe had moved south then and stayed by a huge sea for many many tens of tens. When the weather got warmer and the ice went north again they moved back to their old land as they had many times before and One Ice said that it was just natural, a cycle like that of the moon and the stars.

One Ice was the tallest of the males, his mother had been from the clan of the white wolves and they were the largest of their kin. He was a head taller than anyone else and he had long silky hair the color of a dark cloudy day, mixed with silver. The females adored him, One Ice had many cubs living in many clans with their mothers and he even had grandchildren and so on. He had lived with seven mates and was onto number eight now and he probably would live to sire even more cubs. Aytha had always thought that he was beautiful, and the mere thought of him had made her blush, like it did with the other young girls too. Now he laid on the soft furs of the hut and he smiled at her, a very gentle and friendly smile. He was always nice to the females, and the adults had often been bragging about him, saying he could make any female see stars and forget her name. Aytha didn't know about that but she knew that it was a great honor also for her to have him this night, the chief was after all the male with the highest status of the entire clan, and it would rub off on her too. The other males would seek her out since they believed that some of the chief's strength may pass onto them by laying with her.

One Ice was slender but powerful and he had many scars from encounters with wild animals. As normal with their people his age wasn't visible except from within his gaze and many came to seek his wisdom and advice. Aytha didn't know what to say or do, she just stood there, worrying her lip and staring at the ground, she felt like a small thing compared with him and even if a female had higher status than even the chief just from being female it didn't mean that she didn't respect him a lot. One Ice cocked his head. "Aytha, I am honored by your presence"

She had to giggle, her heart thumping like a herd of wild beasts over the plains and he gestured for her to come and sit down. She did, and the scent of him made her feel more at ease right away. He did smell of wood and smoke and something safe and he took her hand and caressed it gently. She swallowed. " I am glad it is you"

He grinned again and caressed her back and shoulders, his hands were so large and strong and calloused but they were warm and the touch sent shivers through her, but pleasant ones. Maybe this thing wasn't so terrifying after all. Like her he was naked and Aytha had seen naked males before, in the warm summers everybody went naked, with just a belt around their waist to hold their flint knives or other tools. He was hard too, and that was more unusual to see but she wasn't unfamiliar with that neither. She just wondered how that huge thing was supposed to fit inside of her.

But he did kiss her and that sent jolts of strange feelings through her body and before long she did forget to be scared. What awakened in her was so strong, so demanding and when he did take her she was so eager and so ready there was little discomfort. She did understand why the others made such noise when they did this for it felt so good it did make her want to scream and hearing his soft moans and groans of pleasure only fueled her own eager need.

Afterwards they laid there cuddling and Aytha had always said that she was looking forward to that part of it, she had always liked cuddling and he was nibbling on her earlobes and her neck, nuzzling her with great affection. This was how the males would show their appreciation of a partner and they could be very tender and caring, Aytha found that she liked it a lot. Then they repeated the pleasurable activity many times through the night and when they emerged from the hut the next morning everybody knew that Aytha had taken great pleasure from her first night with a male and that she would be eager to bed others from now on.

There would of course be no cubs born from this, and she regretted that fact but she knew that her mate would be blonde so she just accepted things the way they were and hoped she would meet him soon. Her mother had prepared a new hut for her and she was given adult clothes and adult tools and now she was fully a woman of the clan. It made her heart swell with pride for the women of the clan of the leopard were sought after by males from all the other clans, not only for their beauty but because they were skilled in many things and gave birth to strong and healthy cubs. She would be with the female hunters until she did find a mate and started having cubs and she proved herself to be a very good huntress, capable of bringing her fair share of game back to the camp. In the autumns she and the other females would gather nuts and fruits to dry, berries to boil with fat to make a sort of cakes and herbs for the healer. The children did help them out too, and many did also fish in the rivers and made dried or smoked fish for the winter.

When the snow returned they went to the winter home of the clan, a huge cave. It was very warm and with the many fat lamps and the fireplace ablaze it was cozy. Here there was no privacy and everybody knew who bedded who and who slept alone but it didn't matter, the winters usually flew by rather swiftly. Aytha remembered that winter as the last one of true happiness, she had been so safe and so content and nothing was making her worried. The males were eager to be her lovers and she soon became known for being a very good partner, that gave status for the spirits loved the women who loved to bed the males and share their strength. She loved feeling a male inside of her, feeling his hands on her body and hearing his cries when he came, it made her feel whole and it gave her such pleasure. That winter one cub was born to another woman and Aytha saw how the shaman and the midwife stayed in the small birthing alcove for two days, singing the whole time to prevent evil spirits from stealing the powers of the infant before its own spirit was rooted to this world. Whence the infant had been drinking its mother's milk ten times it was safe, it was bound to this world then and unable to return to the spirit world and nothing made a new mother more worried than a cub who didn't want to suckle.

They lost a hunter that winter, to a cave lion and in the spring one of the older women did perish when she crossed a frozen lake and the ice broke under her. That caused the entire clan to mourn deeply and many thought it was a bad omen. The spring came late, and it was cold and when the summer too proved to be rather cold One Ice sent some of the strongest hunters up north to see if the ice was returning. They saw nothing out of the ordinary and so the clan just accepted that it was a cold year, that happened every now and then. The year after was very warm and so the clan thrived and enjoyed life. Aytha hunted and learned how to tan leathers and she made some very nice embroidered skirts which made her very popular among the other females since she taught them the patterns she had invented. For years the clan moved between the cave and the summer hunting grounds, following the huge herds over the plains. They sometimes met hunters form the other clans and exchanged news or traded and every now and then the clans themselves met and spent a season or two together. Aytha had lovers from several clans and since she was so special due to her rare hair she became rather famous. But she didn't meet her golden haired mate of the lion clan and she grew restless and frustrated.

She had one favorite among the males of her clan, a young one just a few tens older than herself. His name was Wolf eyes and he was very handsome and a good hunter already from the start. All the young females liked him, he was great in the furs and the other males did respect him since he was very skilled with the spear and braver than most. Aytha had bedded him many times and he did make her scream in pleasure bordering on pain more than once, she was sad he wasn't a compatible mate. He would have given her strong cubs, and pretty ones too. Wolf eyes was among the young males who did offer themselves up to the older males, in exchange for lessons or simply a boost of status. She had seen him on his knees in front of the chief, head bobbing back and forth as he had the chief's cock in his mouth and it was rather common to see such displays of submission, yet it almost made her jealous, like she wanted to keep him just to herself. No female would do that to a male, it was below their dignity but most young males would have to do their fair share of sucking cock to climb within the hierarchy of the male hunters. Some offered up their asses too and Aytha had seen two of the elders take one of the young hunters together, one in the young males ass and the other in his mouth. It was seen as extremely humiliating for the one being taken but if the young ones were able to take it and accepted their low status they could slowly climb, as long as they didn't do anything stupid.

Aytha knew of one of the males, named Swears twice who had ruined a hunt by letting the prey see him too early and he was treated like an outcast for two whole winters and he had to get down and let the other males fuck him whenever they wanted to. She had heard him screaming in agony more than once but he never tried to break free or protect himself. He had to take it with dignity and accept his plight, it was the only way. Errors were punished, it was simply the way of the clans. They all depended upon each other and if they lost their prey it could mean that they would have to starve, so everybody did their best not to make blunders.

Sometimes the clans would gather for the great hunts, when the hunters drove huge herds of animals over cliffs or trapped them in canyons. Other times the hunters would cooperate to bring down huge prey like mammoth or wooly rhinoceros. Aytha knew that the hunters never killed more than they needed, and they never took the old and experienced beasts. They went for the young and stupid and they knew every individual in the herds. They never took more than one calf from each female and sometimes they would bring down animals that were sick or injured. The shaman would tell the young hunters of the pact between the hunters and their prey, and tell them it was sacred and never to be broken.

The males had their own stories which the females weren't allowed to hear and they had many customs and rituals which were secret and sacred. The females too had such rituals and Aytha was proud to learn the ancient stories of how the moon mother created the first females and made sure that they spread and grew strong. The males came later, created by the goddess of the earth, that was why dead males were buried while dead females were burned so they could return to their mother in the skies. Aytha got her clan tattoos one by one, telling of her life and her growing status. They hurt but she was very proud each time the shaman called her to her and told Aytha it was time for another one.

One Ice would gather the clan in the winters and tell ancient sagas of a time when there were no ice up north, and when huge forests grew everywhere. It had been warm then, and the clans few and spread far out. He told them of giant animals that no longer was seen anywhere, and he told of camps that didn't have to be moved but stayed in one place, surrounded by walls. That usually made everybody smirk, One Ice was fond of exaggerating at times.

Then the winters started to grow longer and colder and One Ice sent hunters up north once more, and this time they could confirm it, the ice was growing, and moving again. This didn't cause any sort of panic, it was as it always had been. One Ice sent runners to the other clans who lived further south and then the clans prepared for the long journey. They packed up everything they owned and started walking. The males would drag the hides and tent poles on simple sleds and the females carried what they could. This was no journey filled with sorrow, it was an opportunity to meet the other clans once more and to go to a place where it was pleasantly warm and where the game and fish were abundant. Aytha was very happy because she welcomed the change and the possibility of finding her true mate.

As they moved south the young ones saw things they never had seen before, species that made them just gape and stare and One Ice felled a giant elk with his spear, the antlers were so wide it could have covered an entire hut. The hunters looked for flint and other precious stones where the rivers had dug into the soil and the females did seek out rare herbs and roots. There was always something new to learn and they were all optimistic. They met the clan of the wolf and the clan of the bear on the great plains close to the huge river which flowed south. It was a joyful meeting and later on the clan of the wolverine and the clan of the lion did join them further down the river. Now they were many speakers gathered there and Aytha had never imagined that she ever would see that many people in one place.

Everybody were trading and exchanging stories and the campfires were roaring towards the skies each night. There was plenty of food to eat and some had brought instruments and there was dancing and singing almost constantly. Aytha did bed a few males she never had met before, and they treated her with the outmost respect but she still hadn't met that one who could give her the cubs she so longed for. One evening there was an even greater reason for celebration, two of the hunters had found something very rare. It was a huge plant which grew only in very dry places and it had a huge bulb underneath it. The bulb would grow for decades until one day the plant forced forth a single stem carrying a huge flower. The flower did smell like a carcass but it was very pretty and as soon as the flower withered and spread its seeds so would the rest of the plant too. The plant the hunters had found had just bloomed and the stem hadn't rotted yet, which meant that the bulb was still fresh and edible. The women gathered and started to dig and the bulb was enormous. Everybody cheered and sang as they used mammoth tusks and logs to break it free from the earth. The bulb was the size of a bull mammoth and it hadn't gotten spoiled at all.

First the males did drill holes in it and emptied it of the sticky white juice which was gathered in ceramic jars. Then the females started to cut the bulb open and Aytha had never seen this being done before and was very eager to learn. The bulb consisted of very dense white meat and the smell was wonderful, like the red berries which grew in sunny places. The cubs were running around begging and they were given pieces of the bulb to feast upon. The bulb was so large it was more than enough for everybody and huge chunks were taken away to be dried or smoked. Some of it even got grounded up into a mosh they mixed with dried berries and fat and some got sacrificed to the great goddesses to ensure that the clans would keep their luck and grow.

The feast that evening was a grand one, the juice would ferment almost immediately when exposed to air and the taste was so sweet and crisp Aytha drank way more than she should. She ended up in the bedfurs with One Ice and a hunter from the clan of the bear and when she woke up the next morning she was sticky all over and terribly sore. The clans moved forth, slowly but steadily, the land did feed them and caves gave them a place to stay during the winters and One Ice told them that the great sea was a long journey away yet. Cubs were born, some hunters were lost and a group from the clan of the fox did perish in a mudslide one spring. Aytha's sister found a mate in the fox clan and moved away and her brother did live with a mate from the bear clan now. Aytha didn't really know when the change happened, it had to have been gradual but she realized that One Ice was worried. He would often seek her out and she really liked him for he was always very gentle with her and knew exactly what she liked. But lately he had been very quiet and she had seen him stare at the horizon with a frown upon his face.

The hunters who travelled far told that the ice was catching up with them, that had never happened before and the weather was acting in a very odd manner. It could change in an instance, from warm to freezing and they lost three cubs who fell into a cold river and didn't manage to get out. The animals moved south too, the density of animals got higher and higher and one night a part of the camp got trampled by a stampede herd of buffalo. The clans tried to move faster, the huge amount of prey animals also meant that there were predators present and now they saw huge tigers and lions almost every day. The wolf packs got very bold and so did the hyenas too. The mothers were watching their cubs the whole time and everybody was starting to become nervous. It didn't get warmer as they moved south, and the ground could sometimes become covered with ice as hard as flint.

There was plenty of food still, they would find the shallow parts of the rivers and spear the huge rays which would bask in the sun. the meat was inedible but the hide was excellent for making boots and the teeth made good cutting tools. The clan leaders would gather often, discuss the route to take and make plans and Aytha knew that One Ice was growing more and more anxious. The signs were not right, nature was not reacting the way it had before. As the clans travelled there were bound to be conflicts, some males would fight over the right to woo some female they all wanted, some got jealous of each other's skills, some young ones just snapped and didn't obey as they ought to and everybody was shocked when the leader of the clan of the wolverine came one evening to tell everybody that they had made one of their hunters dead. That was unheard off, nobody killed another of their species but the male in question had forced himself upon a very young female and so they had thrown him off a cliff. That was a bad sign indeed and everybody started to wear amulets to protect them from evil spirits.

But it was no use, suddenly the animals started dying, the enormous herds had a hard time finding enough food, the beasts were skinny and fighting and they found whole flocks laying dead. The scavengers had the feast of all ages but One Ice was terrified. As they moved southwards the once lush areas proved to be everything but what they once had been. It was still cold, and dry and the forests were dead. It provided them with enough wood to burn but that offered little comfort. The sun didn't seem to get really warm, not even in the middle of the day and the hunters brought home plenty of pelts and yet it didn't seem to be enough.

They reached the great ocean after a journey that had lasted three times three tens, and Aytha had never seen that much water before. It was beautiful but One Ice was telling them that there had been no ice floating in the water the last time he had been there. But now they had reached the shore and they split up again to form camps along the seaside. Aytha was sure it would be alright, that the ice would move back north after some tens of tens like it had before. It wasn't too bad to live by the sea for there were plenty of prey and fish and also new things to eat. She had never had shellfish before and found that she liked it. Again the clan settled down and fell into a sort of routine. Cubs were born and some perished and it all felt familiar and yet not. The cold continued, and the ice kept moving, slowly and unstoppable like time itself. The herds got trapped between the ice and the sea and for a while there was a sort of plenty nobody had seen before but everybody knew it couldn't last. They dried and salted meat and prepared for a famine.

The herds died, there was little or nothing left to eat and the beasts starved to death. The predators were the next to go and the clans had to work hard to find food now. The stretch of land left was just a few days march wide and Aytha started to believe that the ice would push them all into the sea. One Ice was in despair, his mate Woman who sings softly was with cub again and she was growing weaker by the day. Two of the clans had been fighting and several hunters had gotten killed and this new horror made everybody feel frozen to the bone out of sheer terror. The clans started to feel the effect of the lack of fresh food. Some hunters got sick and some even died and the shamans tried to gather herbs to counteract the horrible disease but to no prevail. The herbs seemed to have lost their potency and now even the cubs started to grow weak and lethargic. The days got shorter and shorter and many spent the days more or less asleep. Aytha was terrified, was this going to be the very end of them?

The temperatures dropped again, the cold so intense the few trees which were still alive did explode. There was little wood to be found now and the huts were not warm enough. Everybody gathered in a few huts and huddled up together and tried to stay warm and Aytha just prayed that the warmth would return soon. Many died, some froze to death, others vanished in the snowstorms and the clans lost more and more of their hunters. Then the women started dying too, too weak to cling to life. Aytha had never known hunger before, but now it became a horrible new acquaintance. She could see her own bones under her skin and her hair had grown brittle and dry. She wasn't afraid of death, the dead didn't seem to suffer but it was so bitter to never have truly lived. She couldn't believe that this really was the end of the clans, of their people. The ocean did freeze over and some of the remaining hunters left to cross it. They were gone for more than six turns of the moon and only two returned to tell them that they had reached the other side just to find another wall of ice there. The ocean was getting more narrow by the year.

One Ice wept when they told him this, then there was no hope unless the goddesses could be convinced of their sincerity. They had to have sinned for something like this to happen. The hunters had found huge flocks of birds frozen in the ice, herds of animals too and there didn't seem to be any life left anywhere.

A male from the clan of the fox entered their camp one night, bloody and dying. The clan of the hyena had attacked them and killed everybody, even females. They had stolen all the food that was left and Aytha just knew it, the goddesses would never forgive the people this. It was truly the end. Wolf eyes came to her that night, desperate in a way he never had been before. He had begged her to let him take her and so she had allowed it, but for the first time she didn't like it. She just let him fuck her but she felt cold all the way through, like she had no strength to give. He was weeping afterwards, telling her how he would have wanted to father cubs, how he had longed to find a mate. Now it was all too late, they would all die. Aytha knew he was right, the warmth would never return. Sometimes a mating could be forced, if both wanted it enough, he begged her to do it, to let his soul join hers but she refused. Neither was strong enough, they were too closely related and why should they try to form a bond now, when they were close to death? If she got pregnant she would die for sure, there was no future anymore. Wolf eyes said he never had felt the pleasure of a true mating, and she knew that it was something which couldn't even be described but it wasn't hers to give. It made her sad but nothing could change that and he was devastated when she turned him down. It made her feel guilty but she couldn't take the risk.

The mate of One Ice had given birth to a girl, then perished and some other females had been taking care of the cub. It was a beautiful baby and One Ice made sure she and the other infants got the food they had left. Some hunters still had strength to move and they tried to find cracks in the ice through which they could fish. One day they returned with some huge trout but also with some chilling news, they had found a dead hunter, from the lion clan. And he was frozen all the way through but it had happened very fast. They had followed his tracks to find that everybody in that clan was dead. They had all frozen within seconds or so it seemed and Aytha felt how a horrible fear grasped onto her heart. She knew it would happen to them all in the end. Some suggested that they should try to cross the ocean but there was no point. The walls of ice would meet and then there would be nothing but ice, no life left.

The wall of ice was just hours away now, it pushed huge mountains ahead of it, grinded away at the very bedrock and they could hear it in the distance, like a waterfall, just more terrifying. The clan of the wolverine sacrificed a young female in front of the ice, to appease the dark spirits pushing it forth. It didn't help at all. They didn't hear from any of the other clans now, the visits stopped. Every day they had to remove some dead body from the hut and Aytha envied the dead, at least they were at peace, free from the burning agony of hunger. Wolf eyes left the hut one morning and he didn't return, Aytha knew he had been too weak to live much longer. He had wanted to face death alone, so that nobody would see he was afraid. She missed him and wondered if it was true that the dead would meet again on the other side. The shaman had died some winters ago and Aytha was angry with her. She had never met that golden haired one, the shaman had lied.

Aytha had been in a haze for days when there was a new sound, a sort of distant howl and she got up and staggered out of the hut. Nobody else had the strength to move now, but she had always been stubborn, and strong. Her own mother had died just days earlier and Aytha was so numb from it all she didn't even feel any grief. Nothing really mattered anymore. She blinked, there was little light now and she saw that snow and dust was moved by the wind, it was a blizzard but not like any she had seen before. Suddenly she felt afraid, a deep instinctive fear unlike any other and she ran. She had no idea where she ran for it was all white around her, nor did she know why for there was surely no escape but she staggered forth until she fell into a crack in the ground with a yelp. The weight of the ice had started to deform the very crust of the land and cracks opened here and there. She landed on a ledge with a thud and immediately she let out a shriek of fear. Underneath her was a flaming abyss, so warm her hair almost caught fire and her skin felt raw. Hot magma was flowing around like it was being stirred by some invisible force and the heat was unbearable. Over her head the howling sound got stronger and she pressed up against the side of the crack, trying not to scream. If this was her final moment she ought to face it like a true woman of the leopard clan, with fierce strength.

Ice cold wind swept down, so cold it would have turned tissue into solid ice in seconds but here the heat from the bowels of the earth faced it for battle. Steam rose like raging torrents, roaring upwards. Whirlwinds thundered through the crack and Aytha just laid there, unable to move, each breath sheer agony. Heat and cold, blazing scorching one moment, unbearably cold the next. She just clung to the wall, praying that her death would be swift, not painful. She passed out after a little and was lost to the world.

She woke up feeling horrible, her skin was sore, and she was so cold and wet and she whimpered and didn't know what to do. The crack was almost closed over her, ice had formed and miraculously enough some of it reached the ledge, almost like a sort of stairway. She gathered her courage and climbed, her fingers raw and aching and she knew she was badly injured but she had to go and see what had happened to the others. There had been just two tens left now, of a clan once being home to two tens time ten. It was all lost, their people erased from the face of the earth and the thought was so unbearably bitter. She managed to get up, leaving bloody handprints on the ice. She staggered forth, the thick cloak had protected her but it hadn't been enough, her lungs were burning still and she had a hard time breathing.

She recognized the terrain after a while, saw the ice wall towering over the small stretch of land left. She wanted to curse it but what was the point in that now? It was all over. She found the hut, there was no smoke coming from it, it was all silent and she knew they were all dead. She climbed inside, slowly. At least she could die with her own clan, with her kin. The hut was silent, so terribly silent. The cold had killed them in seconds. They probably died before they even realized what was happening and she fell to her knees, keening as her sorrow overcame her. She was alone, so terribly alone, the only one left.

The sound made her shriek, it was a groan, and she crawled towards it, on her knees. It came from a pile of frozen furs and she started tearing at them, desperately. They were hard like sheets of wood but she managed to rip them away and she stared down, it was One Ice. He was still alive but only barely. He tried to smile but his skin was frozen and cracked, blood seeping forth. "Who?"

His voice was barely audible and she realized that he was blind, his eyes frozen too. "Aytha"

Her own voice was unfamiliar and she shivered, it was horrible, grotesque. She wanted to vomit but there was nothing in her gut. He moaned. "Dying, please, take her"

He made a move, it had to hurt but he pulled something out from underneath his body, it was his daughter, Red flower. He had shielded her with his own body and Aytha felt hot tears flow down her cheeks. "How, all are dead!"

One Ice shuddered, his body shutting down. "West, towards the sun, go west, maybe open water"

Aytha sobbed. " I am weak, hurt. "

One Ice let out a gargling sound. "Go"

He let out another moan and then he didn't draw breath again and Aytha let out a howl, a wild cry of agony and grief. The infant made a faint sound and she knew that she had to do what One Ice had said. It was the only chance. She gathered the remaining food, some pelts and made a sort of sled. Then she attached the baby to her chest under the furs and left the hut behind. There was nothing there now, only dead bodies the ice soon would grind to dust and she wailed as she walked. She had no chance and yet she had to try, for the sake of the child left in her care.

She went for days, sometimes barely conscious and she sucked on ice to give the baby water. She had some pieces of dried fat and berries left, and tried to feed the girl by chewing it and then pushing the food into the baby's mouth with her tongue but the little one refused to eat. It was lethargic and Aytha knew Red flower was dying, just as she was. There was no end to the ice, no open water. The once mighty ocean a narrow canal between the walls of ice and they moved towards each other all the time. The food ended and Aytha cursed her own stubbornness. She should have stayed in the hut, at least she would have died among her friends.

She was staggering over ragged cliffs made of ice, trying to avoid the cracks and the lose areas which could fall apart under her weight. Red flower hadn't moved in hours and she started to believe that the infant had perished. At least the little one's torment had ended then. She was about to climb over yet another block of ice when she heard a sound, it was a sort of growling and she turned around slowly. It was a bear, it had to be the last one alive and it was skin and bones and its fur had fallen off many places. One eye was missing and most of its teeth were broken, it was a miserable sight. The animal had caught her scent, and Aytha had no weapons left. The bear was perhaps close to death but its mind hadn't yet understood this, it was angry and in pain and so it reared up and roared. It was ruled by instinct, not thought and so it charged.

The ice was very slippery and Aytha jumped over to another block of ice in a desperate attempt to avoid the bear. The animal lost its footing and fell down into a crack, roaring with rage and pain and Aytha let out a small sigh of relief which turned into a shriek of fear as the block shifted underneath her. She had time to turn around before she too fell, not into the crack with the bear but into one just opening up, and it was filling with sea water from underneath. Frigid seawater, green and clear and Aytha had time for one last breath before it engulfed her, pulled her down. Her last sensation was one of sorrow and regret. She hadn't managed to save Red flower nor herself, her people were no more. She had failed, the shaman had lied to her, there had been nothing but sorrow.


	2. Lady in the water

Chapter 2: Lady in the water

Old Eiran had been living by the river all of his life, and he was the most experienced fisher among his people. He had rowed his boat out onto the small lakes in the mountains more times than anyone could count and he was proud of his skills. Now his bones did ache every winter, and his hair had receded and turned white. His skin was wrinkly and his movements slow but he could still work rather well, not many could brag of that at the ripe age of almost seventy. He was trying to fish in one of the high lakes this time, it was in the mountain valleys and it was dangerous terrain in many ways but he knew the dangers and he knew how to avoid them. Orcs sometimes roamed the area but they did fear water and he would just row out onto the lake and hide there until they were gone. Now he was trying to find the one spot in the lake where the really large fish stood, he had a favorite location and he was eying the peaks around him to get in the right place.

Last time he was this high he had caught five huge trout, fat and beautiful fishes who had provided them with many meals. His wife had died almost fifteen years ago but she had been weak for years and she had given him five fine sons who now had wives of their own and even kids too. He was a lucky man for sure, his blood would live on, and so would his name. He hummed a jolly tune as he threw his line in and started moving the lure, this was a trick he knew everything about and he could let his mind wander while he worked. Last winter he had cut his hand on a piece of old metal and it had gotten infected, he could have lost his hand but his oldest son had taken him to the hidden vale and there the lord of the elves had healed it. Eiran had always been in awe of the fair folk, some didn't trust them and thought that they were dangerous but he knew better. They were creatures of light and should never be feared as long as you were a good person.

He remembered the beauty he had seen there, and the serenity of the place and he knew he had seen a piece of heaven, left on earth. He couldn't explain it otherwise. He kept fishing and every now and then he had to row a bit since the currents brought him out of position. He had been there for several hours and gotten some nice sized trout and a few perches too when he did notice something floating in the waters. It was a distance away and he frowned and cursed his now poor eyesight. Once he had been able to see things clearly from a great distance, almost like an elven warrior. He got up and squeezed his eyes almost shut, the sun did cause reflections and they made his eyes run. He tilted his head, was it a dead animal? It looked like fur! An unfortunate beast who had fallen into a river or something? That was not unheard off. Sometimes animals got lost during the winter and died and the carcasses would emerge with the spring thaw. It could be edible still?

Eiran knew that frozen meat often could be eaten still even if the animal had been dead for a long time, this could be his lucky day. He picked up the oars and paddled closer, slowing down. That didn't look like an animal? The fur had different colors and textures and he swallowed hard, it was a fur coat of some kind. And something was underneath it…

He took a deep breath and gathered all his courage, one of the men of his village had once come across a man who had drowned in the river, the body had been dragged by the current for quite a while and the description that was being made had made Eiran feel nauseous for days. He used the ore to flip the fur away, it was heavy but the adrenaline gave him strength. He got it out of the way and then he gasped and sat back, his hand covering his mouth. Oh no, oh gods no! This couldn't be, it simply couldn't be! Oh by the ancestors, he had to get help, right now!

Elrond of Imladris was busy teaching some young healers about the effects of certain herbs, his sons were out on patrol as usual and they always left an ache in his chest, one that didn't seize until they returned. He feared for them both, always. Arwen was with her grandmother in Lothlorien at the moment and he did miss her but at the same time he was a bit relieved that she was out of his hands for a while. She was spoiled and he couldn't blame anyone for that except himself, hopefully Galadriel did manage to tame her and teach her proper behavior. The students were paying keen attention to his every word and he felt impressed by their zeal, all were promising and he was glad that even a few young ones from Mirkwood had come to join them.

His counsellor Erestor was busy with some official paperwork and Elrond had to smirk thinking about the dark haired ellon and his great affection for order. With him at the helm there wasn't even a single sheet of paper out of place and if anyone made a mess in the library Erestor would truly transform back into the very intimidating first age warrior he had been. Some thought the elf was a mellow and soft type and they couldn't have been more wrong. Elrond was ready to pack up and tell the students they were dismissed when he heard the sound of horses, he frowned and felt a sting of worry right away. Was something off? Could it be his sons returning? They returned home wounded more often than not and he swallowed his fear and smiled at the younger elves. "You may go now, next lesson will be tomorrow at the same time, and do remember to visit the garden and look at the species the way they look while fresh"

The students nodded and left the room and Elrond heard that the hooves got closer, the horses were galloping and hard. He put his books down on the desk and ran out the door, down some stairs and to a spot where he could see the main courtyard. Three horses were crossing the bridge, one was pulling a narrow wagon behind it, and the driver and the two riders were edain. He recognized them, the driver was a very kind old man he had healed the last winter and the two riders his youngest sons. Some human had to have gotten injured. He hurried down the last stairs, not too fast but with some haste, and he shouted some orders. If this was an injured human he would need some help for sure.

The riders were waiting, the horses panting and shivering and he frowned. Humans had so little respect for their steeds and would gladly ride them to death, no elf would treat a noble animal that way. The old man was trembling and he got out of the wagon on shaking legs. Elrond did never get used to seeing the damages time left on a human face, it was something he never could truly understand and it made his own brother's choice even harder to accept. Eiran bowed deeply. "My lord, I was out fishing in the high lakes, and I saw something in the water. When I checked it was…it is one of your people my lord, we…we thought it best to bring the body back here, where it belongs…So that you may bury the person the way it is supposed to be done"

Elrond held his breath, his eyes widening. A dead elf?! Oh Eru no! He couldn't believe it, who could it be? Nobody was missing but of course some did belong to travelling tribes or groups and there were elves who lived more or less like hermits too. He went over to the wagon, touched the thick fur which covered the body. It was a tall person, and he suddenly feared removing the fur and seeing a familiar face. He took a deep breath, others had come now and he couldn't look like a coward. He flipped the furs aside and gasped. What lay there was an elleth, and she was completely unfamiliar and more so, she didn't look like any elf he had ever seen before. Her hair was very long and tangled and it had a deep rich burgundy tone of red but it looked brittle and stiff and the poor thing was just skin and bones. Her facial features told of great beauty but her ears…They were different from ordinary elven ears, way pointier and the points longer than on even a silvan elf. They seemed to be flexible and her eyes were larger than normal and slanted, with an almost triangular shaped face and very high cheekbones she did look feral. She even had tattoos on her cheeks and on her forehead, he had never heard of elves with tattoos, Elrond was puzzled, who, and what, was she?

Eiran swallowed. "Under the dark fur, please…."

Elrond saw that something was strapped to the female's chest, hidden under yet another piece of roughly sewn fur and he pulled it aside, let out an audible groan when he saw what it hid. It was an elfling, a very young one by the looks of it. He felt dizzy, a young mother and child? What horrible tragedy, he blinked the tears out of his eyes, then he took a deep breath and tried to think. " Eiran, I am very grateful you brought her here, she is not of this vale but an elf nevertheless and I will do my very best to find out what's happened to her."

Eiran tried to smile, his eyes were watering. "Aye my lord, I know you will. It is such a shame isn't it, she is so pretty"

The old adan was right, the elleth was very pretty but obviously she had suffered a lot before her death and Elrond felt a strong surge of sorrow rush through him. Where could she have come from? He saw that Lindir had showed up and he gave the younger elf a quick order. The three men were taken to the halls of fire for a good meal and Elrond decided to reward them with some good rolls of expensive cloth and some coin too. They needed it beyond doubt. The elves who had gathered looked stunned and Elrond took a deep breath. "My friends, get a stretcher. I want to examine the body, if she was murdered we have to find out who did it."

Some ran off and returned with a stretcher from the infirmary and Elrond and one of the other healers there lifted the body carefully from the wagon and onto it. She was light, way too light for someone of that height. He did see that some of the ellith gathered had seen the dead infant and a few were sobbing, seeing a dead elfling was something none of them were used to. Elrond couldn't remember the last time he had seen a dead elleth, or an elfling. He had seen plenty of dead Ellyn yes, warriors slain in battle but this…this was something he just had problems coping with. They carried the body into the infirmary and placed her on a bench, Elrond sighed. "Aldoron, Vorondar, you may stay. Lindir, go get Erestor, I want him to write down everything we do and everything I say"

Lindir bowed his head and ran off and Elrond tried to forget about who and what this was and just focus on doing his job. They had to find out who she was, and where she had come from. Aldoron and Vorondar were among the most experienced of the other healers there and Elrond enjoyed working with them. Aldoron were of noldorin descent but Vorondar was a silvan and very quick at finding unusual solutions to problems. Erestor came rushing into the room with his robes flying behind him and a bag of papers and pens in his hand. He did look very shocked and he choked a small shriek when he saw the body on the bench. "Oh sweet Eru, what has happened to this elleth?!"

Elrond tried to smile, but his face felt horribly stiff. " That is what we are trying to find out"

Erestor found a desk and got his papers ready, Elrond could see that his hands were shaking and knowing that the dark haired counsellor was one of the survivors from Gondolin that made sense, he had seen more death than most others. Elrond took a deep breath. "The deceased is a female, apparently rather young, rather tall and with red hair. She is wrapped in very primitive fur clothes and was found with an elfling strapped to her body"

Erestor was writing, he was fast and Elrond slowly started to remove the clothing of the elleth and the little one. The elfling proved to be a girl, she had dark blonde hair and was very skinny and Elrond could quickly determine that she hadn't drowned, there was no water in the lungs. The clothes were made from animal hides, well cut and sewn but still very primitive, nobody wore stuff like that anymore. And the tattoos on the adult female? Vorondar made a grimace. "If I didn't know any better I would say that she resemble the way the quendi must have looked at the time of the awakening, without any knowledge of how to weave or forge weapons."

Elrond had found a small knife in a pocket in the female's coat, and it was made from flint. Aldoron swallowed. "She cannot be that ancient, she looks like a young one? "

Vorondar frowned. "The adan who found her said he had been at the high lakes? There are glaciers up there, I have heard of bodies thawing out of the ice centuries after they fell into cracks and died"

Elrond scoffed. "I see what you mean my friend but that is impossible, no glaciers are that ancient these days, and it would have ruined the body. She looks like she died just hours ago."

He picked up a hand and studied it, being a bit puzzled. "Look, she has got frostbite on her hands, and yet there is some sort of burns there as well?"

The two others almost banged their heads together, eager to see. "You are right, those are frost damages."

Elrond had come to the elleth's inner layer of clothing now, a sort of socks tied to the thighs and a sort of tunic made from very soft thin leather. He cut it away gently, nothing of it had been frozen or at least just for a short while for the body wasn't stiff and it wasn't in any way decomposed. He stared at the body which was revealed to them, Eru, he had never seen a skinnier elf ever. She looked almost like a skeleton with skin on it and it made the markings on her skin look oddly out of place. Vorondar blushed. "Ah, look, her…breasts"

Elrond frowned, her breasts? What about…oh, he did see it. Her areolas were pink, not dark as they would be on a female who had been nursing a baby and he sighed. It wasn't her elfling then, but she had cared for it and tried to save it beyond any doubt. What had happened to them? They both had starved, that was obvious, and they were found in the lake. Had they been cut off from their tribe? But Elrond knew of no elven tribe that primitive, and absolutely not in this part of the world. Had they been held captive by orcs maybe? And been able to escape? No, they would have killed an infant that young. He took a closer look at her, there was no signs of abuse but she did have cuts and scrapes along her legs and arms, as if she had been fallen and tried to hang onto something. There were bruises here and there and some finger nails were torn out too. And she had more burns, like her skin had been exposed to great heat. Elrond was getting more and more confused, what in Eru's name had happened to her?

It felt wrong touching her, treating her thus but they needed to know more and Elrond swore to himself that they would give her a very proper funeral, and show her all possible respect too whence this was done. She had been a strong one before she became so thin, and she was probably a very healthy individual. The elfling on the other hand showed signs of having been weak from the start, the body seemed frail somehow, as if it hadn't been fed properly. Her features and the odd ears told Elrond that she somehow had come from somewhere far away, very far away. Could there be tribes living far north still? Descendants of elves lost during the crossing of the helcaraxe? Not impossible but what the heck was she then doing in one of the high lakes? alone? No, that was not a believable explanation at all and he sighed and grimaced. They had come no further, all they knew was that she wore clothing similar to the things the very first elves would have worn and that she probably came from a culture very different from this one.

Elrond wrapped the dead infant in some white linen and whispered a short but sad prayer, whoever this little girl had been, she had been just an innocent little one and nothing like this ought to have happen to such. The elleth looked very fragile laying like that, exposed and in some ways humiliated. He threw a sheet over the body, felt as if he had committed some sort of crime by examining her. Vorondar let a hand slide through a lock of thick red hair, he did look very sad indeed. "I wonder what she was like? I mean, her personality? She seems strong somehow?"

Aldoron nodded. "Red hair, not usual among elves. I bet she was a fiery one"

He leaned forth and placed a hand on her forehead, whispering a short prayer. "I hope Namo has room for you young one, and that he is able to heal your wounds, whatever they may be"

Elrond smiled and found a pillow to lay underneath her head, just to make her look a bit more alive. He lifted her head and Vorondar helped him as he slid the pillow in underneath her neck. Suddenly the silvan yelped. "Elrond, her jugular, it moved!"

Elrond raised an eyebrow. "Nonsense, she is cold, there is no heartbeat and she isn't breathing."

Vorondar sent him a rather wide stare. "It moved, I am telling you it moved! I have good eyes my lord, they do not deceive me!"

Elrond frowned and sighed. The elleth had been found floating in a lake, and he had felt no heat nor heartbeat at all. She felt dead, like a dead tree. He put a finger onto the jugular, no motion and he was about to tell Vorondar that he was delusional when there was a sudden movement under his fingertip. It wasn't large, just barely there but he almost jumped out of his skin. "Oh by Manwê's breath, she is alive!"

Vorondar sort of hissed. "Told you so!"

Elrond grasped an instrument they used to listen to people's heartbeat and placed it on her chest, listened for a long time. "Damnation, her heart beats only once every second minute, how is that possible?"

Aldoron took a deep breath. "Cold, it is the cold, I am sure."

Elrond stared at him and Aldoron shrugged. "My parents crossed the grinding ice, they told me that nobody is truly dead until they are warm and dead. Her body must have gone into a sort of hibernation perhaps? "

Elrond moaned, oh how were they going to deal with this? He was thinking fast. "Right, bring a tub full of warm water and some athelas, fresh athelas."

The two ran off and Elrond felt sick to the heart, he had never ever misdiagnosed anyone like this, but this was an extreme case too. They placed the elleth in the warm water and made sure that she lay there for over an hour and when they dragged her out she was breathing but very shallowly and with some ghastly rasping sounds. Elrond checked her airways and found that they too had been scorched somehow. She was a mess, but alive. He crushed athelas and made her inhale the sweet vapor from the leaves and he rubbed her chest and abdomen with it before they wrapped her in warm blankets and rubbed her with peppermint to increase her blood flow. She was alive but only barely and he knew that she still could perish at any moment. He had never been so shocked by a case, nor as bewildered. Erestor was deeply shocked too and Lindir spread the news all over the settlement faster than Elrond would have preferred. Before sunset everybody knew that the mysterious elleth was alive, and that Elrond was doing everything within his power to save her. Now it became a waiting game, would she wake up again? And if she did, would she even be normal?

Elrond stayed in the infirmary that night, he wondered about her strange features and her odd ears, she was an elf but not of any race he had ever encountered and a new idea started to sneak into his mind. What if she wasn't from middle earth at all? He didn't sleep but stayed there while meditating and in the morning Vorondar took his place. They switched three times a day and made sure to rub her arms and legs, turn her over in bed and rub her with ointments and more peppermint. Her breath did become more steady but she didn't wake up and Elrond was afraid that her fragile state would be the end of her. She had no reserves left, her body just bones and that could harm even an elf. He remembered how his foster father had been close to death when Fingon got him off the Thangorodrim, he had nothing left, no will nor energy and only his anger towards the enemy had kept his fêa and hrôa together. Elrond knew naught about this elleth, perhaps the news of the child's death would break her, he didn't know.

The vale was in a state of silent waiting now, everybody was curious and worried and Elrond hoped that they wouldn't be disappointed. He wanted to rescue that female, he felt that whoever she was, she didn't deserve to die like that. She was young, had she even had time to fully taste life? He had no idea and as he sat there by her side he tried to imagine what her life had been like. He could tell a lot about a person from their body and this body did tell quite a tale. She had callouses on her fingers from using a needle but it had to be a bone needle, no steel one would leave such marks. She had very strong muscles in her shoulders but they were not archer's shoulders, more like those of one who throws a spear. Her legs were long and there were no callouses along her thighs, no rider then. But she did have very flat feet and that told him she was used to carrying heavy loads and her neck muscles too were a bit on the over developed side. She probably carried things on her head or hanging from her head in a sort of sling. He had seen edain females doing that and again he wondered about the type of culture she had come from.

He wondered where his sons were at the moment, if they had been there they would have been crawling up the walls with curiosity and he had to grin thinking of all the questions they would have made. Arwen would have been terribly upset because of the dead elfling and he was glad she wasn't there. The body of the infant had been wrapped and placed in a cold basement until further notice, it could be that the elleth needed to see it to accept that it was dead. Now Elrond could only wait, and hope and so did many others there. They referred to her as the lady in the lake now and many prayed for her recovery. It made Elrond feel humble, they knew naught of her and yet everybody did care and they all tried to do whatever they could to make sure she woke up again.

It was dark, and the darkness had always frightened her. She was fighting it, she didn't know for how long, feeling how her lungs filled with water, how her body was screaming for air that wasn't there. Fear, confusion, mostly grief and some odd sparks of light coming from all directions. She was cold, to the core, feeling afloat in nothing. Red flower, she had to save her, or was she dead already? There was no up or down, no anything really and she wailed and trashed around, trying to understand but there was no movement, just stillness. Death, this was death. But where were her kin, her friends? There was nothing there, had they all lied?

She wanted to cry, to scream but there was nothing to scream with, no eyes to shed tears. Nothing, just nothing. Then she heard a distant voice, a very sad voice which seemed to chant something and all of a sudden she felt. She felt so much at once, a horrible pain in her chest, as if some huge load had been placed upon it, a desperate struggle to draw breath. Pain, agony, everywhere! It hurt! Being dead shouldn't hurt, this was wrong. She tried to wail, to move but something was wrapped around her and she did panic. She felt odd scents, light against her skin but she saw nothing, was unable to open her eyes.

Where was she? What had happened? Was this the afterlife? She felt a touch against her forehead, heard a voice whisper something but she didn't understand a single syllable and she felt so lost, what was this? Tears ran down her cheeks and those she did feel, they stung and burned and she remembered the heat from that fissure in the earth. She had been burned, and then… She remembered everything and sobbed, it was lost. There was nothing left, her world no more, engulfed and swallowed by ice. What would become of her now? She had nothing! She let out a gasp and the hand stroked her hair, it felt warm and real and comforting but she didn't understand, she couldn't see, she couldn't speak!

Elrond had been half asleep when he heard the female cough, he had been upright in the chair faster than a racehorse out of a starting gate and then he got up and ran over to the bed. She was moving, making mewling sounds, trying to breathe, to open her eyes. He had placed soft patches with herbal ointments over her eyelids, to protect her eyes. Those too had been injured by the heat and had to heal. She was crying and he tried to calm her down, to whisper soothing words. Apparently she didn't understand and she was getting more and more agitated. In fact she was getting hysterical and Elrond filled a syringe with some sedative and injected it in her arm. She shrieked and tried to move out of the way and then she went limp, and lay there snoring, mouth open and face contorted. It was very clear that she hadn't understood a word he was saying, it was disappointing but nothing could be done about that. He called Vorondar over and ordered him to get some chicken broth from the kitchens, watered out and filtered. The female needed nourishment and they had to start very easily so they didn't kill her with kindness.

The next time she came too there was a wonderful scent in the air, of something edible. She felt her nose twitch even before she was fully awake and her stomach felt even more hollow than before. It hurt, like there was a giant void inside of her and the scent, oh it was driving her mad. Then she heard someone move close to her and hands grasped her own, lifted them towards her face. She felt her skin again and felt that something was attached over her eyes, felt an odd smell of some sort of herbs and realized that she was bandaged. Was her soul damaged just as her body had been? Did the dead have to heal on the other side? Nobody had told her about that but alright, she could accept it. She felt that she was wrapped in something very soft and warm, laying on a very comfortable bedding. Odd, was the other side perhaps better equipped than the real life?

Then the good smell got stronger and she heard a sort of clatter and something was being pressed against her lips, very gently. She felt heat and opened her mouth hesitantly and she gasped as some sort of liquid was poured into her mouth. It…it was heavenly, it was…She was suddenly leaning forth, eager for more, desperate for more. She tried to grasp after whatever it was that brought the wonderful relief to her but it evaded her and she heard a smooth voice saying something which sounded friendly enough.

The object returned, she got another spoonful of soup and yet another one and she whimpered with anticipation before each one. Oh by the ancestors, this was wonderful, so good. She had never tasted anything that good! After a while her belly felt full and she let out a huge sigh of relief. Again something was held to her lips, this time some sort of cup, that she did recognize but she didn't recognize the scent though. It was fruity and sweet and it left a pleasant warmth within, it had to be like the liquid from the large bulbs. She drank eagerly and drained the cup and then she felt dizzy and sleepy and before she knew it she returned to the world of dreams.

She remembered the shaman, and one of her speeches. It had been in the winter, long before the accursed ice returned, and one hunter had died, skewered by the horn of a woolly rhinoceros. The shaman had explained what awaited the dead on the other side, a land with plenty of prey, where no one would starve or freeze and all cubs would survive to become adults. A land with no sorrow, where you could find your perfect mate easily and where all good things were gathered. Perhaps this was it after all.

Elrond made sure that the elleth didn't eat too fast, she was very hungry and would have over eaten if he didn't sedate her and he kept her asleep most of the time, until she gathered some strength again. She loved the chicken broth and the wine and he decided that it soon would be time to remove the bandages. She had been awake almost a dozen times by now but she didn't try to speak and he suspected that her throat had been damaged so much that it actually hurt a lot when she tried to say something. She didn't understand anything he said, he knew that for certain now and he feared that she would get quite a shock when he allowed her to see. But there was no way around it and he let Aldoron feed her while he un-wrapped her head. They had bathed her once and washed her hair and it had become very apparent that she never had cut it. It reached her feet and was extremely thick. When it got its luster back it would probably look amazing. The female sat still, obviously realizing what they were doing but she looked nervous and was licking her lips. He had noticed something rather bizarre about her, her ears told a lot about her state of mind. They were a bit like the ears of a horse, a window to her soul and now the tips were twitching ever so slightly.

Elrond removed the patches and she swallowed, the face didn't look quite so emaciated now, she recovered with remarkable speed but she was far from well or healthy, there was a long way to go yet. She held her breath, then she slowly opened her eyes. They were green, as he had seen when he examined her but now they were alive and sparkly and the color seemed to have deepened into a bright emerald color that was just stunning. She blinked, again and again, trying to focus again and then she yelped, staring at them with a frightened expression upon her face. She whimpered, pressing herself back against the headboard of the bed and her eyes were flickering, she was staring at everything with increasing confusion and then her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out. Elrond swore and sighed, the shock had been too much for her, poor poor thing. She probably had no idea of what she was facing at all, her culture and her experiences utterly different. How were they to deal with this?

She had tried to see, but her vision had been so blurry to begin with. Then it got better and she found herself within some sort of room but it wasn't like any hut or cave she had ever seen. It was so airy and she didn't recognize any of the materials. Three males sat by her side, all were very tall and did look friendly but they were so different, their faces handsome though and very attractive but what were they wearing? And why were their ears so small? Where was she? This couldn't be the other side after all? Perhaps this was some other place? A place where those who did wrong were punished? No, she didn't want that, she whimpered and felt how her heart was speeding up, this was too much, way too much. She felt dizzy and then the world turned black again and she didn't try to resist it at all.

Elrond sighed and bit his lower lip, it was a dilemma. She didn't speak the language, she obviously had no clue about what she saw there and her reaction told him she had been terrified. Vorondar hawked. "My lord, if you were to see her mind?"

Elrond scoffed. "You know I cannot do that without permission? It requires a lot, from both me and her and I cannot just peek at her memories, it would be a violation."

Vorondar shrugged. " It was just a suggestion my lord, but you know, it could be that it is the only solution."

Elrond sighed inwards, yes, Vorondar was right, it could be that it was needed. At least he would know from whence she came. He would try to speak to her once more, if that didn't work, well then he had no other option left. He made Vorondar and Aldoron leave the room and then he prepared a special herbal mixture and some more soup. He hadn't filtered it this time, her stomach could handle solids now. She came to slowly, eyes still wide with fear and she was trembling like a tree in a storm. He smiled, didn't move suddenly, held the bowl with the soup in front of him. "Hungry?"

She cocked her head, stared at the bowl, her stomach was growling. She did look nervous but reached out towards the bowl, her hands shaking and he let her take it, very carefully so she didn't drop it. The soup was still rather hot and he didn't want her to get burns yet again. She lifted it, took a sip and then another one, started to drink from the bowl with obvious hunger. Then she licked the bowl, with a distinct lack of manners and Elrond took a deep breath and prepared himself. He pointed at his own chest and sent her his most reassuring smile. "Elrond"

She cocked her head, frowning. "Eh-ll-raah?"

He shook his head. "No, El-ro-nd"

She blinked, her ears were hanging ever so slightly, she looked like a puppy someone has kicked and he had to admit that she was cute too, not just mysterious and pretty. "Ew-hro-nd"

She had problems speaking, it was obvious, her throat too sore for her to make precise sounds yet. "I guess that is good enough for now, your name?"

She frowned, trying to understand. She still looked terrified, ready to bolt and hide under some rock, but she wasn't stupid. In fact he felt that she probably was a very smart person, she just had been tossed into a situation she never had encountered before. Her ears were moving back and forth, and it added some very odd expressions to her body language, but it didn't look animalistic. At least not much. She was still an elf, just a different type of elf. She coughed, then she pointed at herself and it was obvious that she was unsure about this. "Aytha?"

Elrond smiled. "Is that your name? it is pretty. Pleased to meet you Aytha"

She tried to smile, her lips twitching and her eyes were still nervous, her ears hanging and then perking up again. She was really out of her comfort zone and by Eru how he did pity her. She swallowed, then she made a whimpering sound and pretended to be rocking something in her arms. Oh no, how did he explain this? He tried to remain calm. "The infant? She was dead, I am sorry"

Aytha saw that he didn't meet her eyes, that he looked sad and it said everything, she let out a wail of grief and started rocking back and forth, what was this? What was happening? Oh Goddess, where was she? The male in front of her who had that odd name seemed to be old, she felt it and saw it in his eyes. And he sort of looked like a very dominant male, one of extremely high status, maybe it wasn't so bad that he sat this close, perhaps he wanted to keep her safe? He did have compassion, that was obvious, and skills too and Aytha just surrendered, she let her tears flow and didn't protest when the dark haired male got up and sat down again next to her. He seemed uncertain and so she assumed that he was afraid of going too far without her permission. She fell forward, throwing her arms around his neck, seeking comfort and safety. She needed a strong male protecting her now, until she knew more.

Elrond went almost rigid with shock when she embraced him thus but he realized that she was desperate to feel safe, and he returned the hug and held her close. She was sobbing, obviously heartbroken and he hummed and rocked her in his arms. This reminded him a lot of Arwen when she was a child and had gotten scared by something and he wondered how in the world they were going to communicate with her. He had to do it, he had to peek at her memories and he started to chant slowly, bringing her mind into a state of trance where he could enter it telepathically and see her memories. Aytha just sat there, he felt warm and solid and safe and he did smell of flowers and wood and some strong masculine scent that probably was his own. She wouldn't mind bedding him, no, not at all. She was rather sure that he would be amazing, but she was too weak yet. Her body felt like crap and she knew she looked awful too. But soon, soon she would most certainly be ready for a male again.

She suddenly felt sleepy listening to the deep soft voice and before she really knew it she drifted off to sleep, or something akin to sleep. Elrond gathered her up in his arms and held her in a comfortable position as he allowed his own fêa to access her mind. Now, where did she come from and what had happened to her?

The first thing he did see was water, from underneath the surface, cold water stinging the lungs, a desperate fear, grief, disappointment. Then he saw her memories in reverse, lightning fast and yet slowly and he gasped and shivered as he witnessed something so amazing and so tragic he had a hard time understanding at first. He saw it all, the journey south, the camps and the joys and then the fear and the sorrow. He saw the cave up north, the tribe at its greatest, her coming of age ceremony. He saw her bed the chief and he saw her long for a mate of her own. He saw her carefree days as a child and he wept, he wept for a people which had been proud and strong and beautiful. They were no more, wiped from the face of their world, a world encased in ice. A whole race of elves, extinct with one exception, the one laying in his arms. It was a tragedy, no, more than that. It was a crime, an atrocity, it was like spitting in the eye of the creator. All life, eradicated by ice. How could that even be? He realized he was sobbing, the grief heartbreaking and he knew how she felt, oh by Eru how he understood her. But he didn't understand the language, not one sentence and he realized that they would have to teach her Sindarin from scratch. It would be a monumental task, from what he had seen she had lived a life that was very different from what the elves of Imladris was used to. She was a stone age person damn it, they had owned nothing made of metal and they had lived from hand to mouth. Her religion, her culture, it was all so alien, so new. He stroked her hair gently, shaking his head from one side to the others in slowly growing despair. "Oh little frostborn one, how are you gonna adapt to our world? It is so different, so much harsher."

Vorondar entered after having knocked and he stared when he realized that his lord had been crying. Elrond swallowed. Tried to keep his voice steady but failed, it shivered. "I saw it all Vorondar, her people, her world. They are all dead, a whole race of elves are dead, and she is the last one, the very last one"

Vorondar sat down slowly, his eyes filling with tears too. "Oh Eru, I had no idea, what are we to do?"

Elrond shrugged. "What can we do except trying to make her life here a good one? Try to help her adapt. But I fear it will be a monumental task"

Vorondar stared at his lord with a distant gaze. "No shit! It will be like trying to tame an orc!"

Elrond just let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. He feared that even that would be a piece of pie compared to teaching this one how to behave. What on earth was he to do now? How would he manage this task? He had no idea and he just prayed the valar for guidance for right now he was completely out of knowledge for the first time in his life.


	3. Of what the heart sings

Chapter 3: Of what the heart sings….

The valley was buzzing with rumours by now, they all knew that the female had awakened and that she most likely would make it, Elrond was as shut as a clam but the others did speak and now the inhabitants knew that her name was Aytha. They also heard of the things Elrond had discovered by entering her mind and most were absolutely stunned by it. A whole race of elves? Eradicated? It was horrible and everybody felt very sorry for her and wanted to do their outmost to help her adapt. Elrond sighed and felt trapped somehow, it was great that everybody wanted to help but it could prove to be too much. She wouldn't be allowed to meet that many elves at once, it would simply be too overwhelming for her and Elrond kept her in the infirmary and only allowed Lindir and Erestor access to the room she was in, and then the healers of course. Her burns did heal rather well and he had seen the fissure she had fallen into, it was a miracle she had survived. The frostbite was easily explained too now and Elrond made sure that she was fed often and well. Most elves doesn't need to eat that often, but she needed a lot of sustenance now to recover and Elrond had given the chefs very specific orders. They boiled the bones of large animals and removed the marrow and she ate that with glee, even liver and kidneys and other things few would even bother to cook.

He suspected that her people had been accustomed to eating whatever they could whenever they could, the threat of starvation always a doom hanging over their heads. Aytha did put on weight rather fast, and Elrond realized that he couldn't keep her in there any longer. She was getting frustrated and even if he tried to teach her some words of their language she struggled with it. It was apparent that her own language was very different from Sindarin and the way words were pronounced completely different. Her language sounded a bit like a cats meows, very soft with some sharp almost hissing noises and some sounds made in the far back of the throat.

She managed yes and no and thank you, sort of. But she didn't manage to learn very fast and she showed a sort of curiosity which was a bit shocking. She had no restraints, like a toddler. She tried to grab onto the handle of a kettle Elrond brought even if it was very hot and when they put a dress on her she almost tore it apart trying to figure out how it was made. Elrond knew that his friend had been right when he said that this would be like taming an orc, it would be a monumental challenge. But she couldn't be kept indoors any longer and so he decided that she first and foremost was to be taken to the baths. She needed to learn how to keep herself clean and he ordered two of the female students to take her there in the late evening when it was dark.

She got very excited when she realized that she was to leave the room, she had been out of the bed for many days now and was growing restless. It was obvious that she was very confused when it came to the elves she met, she kept trying to touch their ears, and she was constantly grasping onto their clothes, and their jewellery. But she was also in fear of doing anything wrong, she would wince and cringe whenever she thought she had done something bad and her ears would hang and her eyes went narrow. It had to be her way of showing submission or shame and Elrond was fascinated by her. She was obviously used to a whole different system of showing rank and status and Elrond did remember from her memories that her society was one where the females were in charge. She acted as if she didn't know what to think about the females she met, she acted with a sort of authority around males, even him, but the females made her appear nervous.

Elrond had to grin, she was very submissive when an elleth entered the room, probably out of fear of insulting someone of a higher status than herself and he had picked two ellith who were self-assure and experienced. Dilloth and Meril were both kind and patient and they treated Aytha with respect but they were not going to spoil her in any way, they were demanding in their own way and both held her hand as they showed her the way to the bathhouse. It was empty at this time of the day and Aytha didn't see that much since it was dark. Elrond had thought it smart to take her outside in the dark, she wouldn't be overwhelmed by everything she would see then. Still her eyes did flicker from one side to the other and she was shivering, the scents there were so alien and the stars she saw up overhead unfamiliar. And there was grass there, and flowers, and trees! No ice there at all and that was a relief but she started to realize that she really was in a whole different world.

She was trembling like a leaf when they reached the bathhouse. Dilloth saw that Aytha didn't understand the building, she touched the walls and was stunned by the size of it and even the act of opening a door was unknown to her. They had to show her how to open it, and close it. That made her stand there grinning from one ear to the other, shutting and opening the door a dozen times and Meril smiled and took her by the hand, dragged her inside firmly but gently. Aytha had never seen a hut like that before, so huge, and made by wood? There had to be a lot of wood then, to enable them to do something like that, and what sort of tools did they use? The hut was so warm, and she followed the two females with huge eyes, there were many rooms and they entered one and shut the door, then they gestured for her to take off the dress and they too did undress. Aytha was nervous, she had no idea of how to interact with these females, they wore no signs of their age nor their status within the tribe and she felt very exposed. Her tattoos had been her pride but now they felt like a brand of shame, why she didn't know.

The two females were so pretty, so lithe and elegant and she stared at her own body and felt ugly. She had more curves than these women, wider hips, larger breasts, she was sure they saw her as flawed. She followed them with her head bowed and they entered a huge room with a pond in it. Who puts a pond in the middle of their hut?! Dilloth gestured for her to come closer and Aytha hesitated but did obey, she felt like a mere child again, having to obey the adults. The water was warm and Meriel did slip into it, it was deep enough to reach her chest and Aytha did understand, they were bathing. It was brilliant, then they could bathe even in winter, how smart was that. She remembered the long winters when a bath was impossible if you didn't want to freeze and how horribly everybody had smelled when spring came, the males in special.

She carefully entered the pool and it felt divine, she let out a gasp of relief and hoped that she didn't cause offense by her behaviour. Dilloth grasped a jar of soap and showed it to Aytha, then she rubbed a handful into her own skin and started to scrub, vigorously. Aytha smelled that the goo in the jar had to be made from fat but there was a scent of something flowery too and it did smell very good. She hesitated, then she took a little and rubbed it onto her arm. Dilloth nodded and Meril smiled and Aytha realized that this was what they did to stay clean. She soon rubbed herself all over and was relieved to feel that her body was returning to its old self, she no longer felt like a skeleton and even her breasts had gotten their shape back. Soon she would be ready to find a male again but she realized that these elves could have very different habits from the ones she had been used to. What if she would be regarded as too ugly? What if none of the males wanted her? That idea made her feel cold, what then? A female no male desired was an outcast, she was useless, someone not capable of sharing her strength with anyone.

Meril wetted her hair and found another jar, that too smelled good and she rubbed the greasy looking content into her dark locks. Aytha copied her, watching everything she did and the foam she created made Aytha giggle. The two helped her wash her huge burgundy mass of hair and afterwards they did comb through it, using bone combs. Aytha was fascinated by them, she recognized the material but she had no idea of how they were made. They did look so nice, so elegant, and they were efficient too. Dilloth did braid her hair and put metal clasps into it, Aytha was intrigued by the metal, she had no idea of what it was, it was so hard, and cold and it didn't crack like rock when she tried to hit it. Dilloth sighed and finished the braids. "There young one, you look amazing. I wonder if all of your people were that beautiful."

Aytha tilted her head, trying to understand but she couldn't, and whimpered. Meril touched her cheek. "Worry not, in time you will understand."

Aytha blushed, she wasn't used to being touched by other females, some did favour women like themselves but she didn't think that these two were like that. It was just a friendly gesture to encourage her and she smiled in gratitude. She had realized that her teeth were a bit different from the ones of these elves so she didn't smile that often, she had the teeth of a predator and she didn't want to startle anyone. They returned to the dressing room and got their clothes back on and Dilloth petted her back. "Tomorrow we will show you the halls of fire, and you will meet new elves."

Aytha just tried to smile, she realized that they were telling her something but again, she didn't understand anything. They did take her to the park in the middle of the city and showed her a lot of wonderful plants and trees and she was like a child, eagerly taking everything in. They tried to teach her the names of trees and such but she failed completely at pronouncing the words. They came out as something nobody would recognize and she did hang her head and whimper. Dilloth did hug her. "There there little one, it is alright, fear not"

They showed her statues and art and Aytha didn't understand the point in anything, it was pretty but why make things like that? They didn't serve any purpose? She was impressed by the skill though and when they did take her back to the room she was tired and fell asleep the moment she laid down. The soft bed and the odd soft blankets were such a blessing, no lice and no stench and she wondered how it all was made.

Dilloth and Meril went to Elrond and sat down, both made grimaces. "She is trying my lord, she wants to learn our language but she is unable to pronounce even a single word right."

Elrond sighed, "I am starting to believe that her throat and tongue could be the problem, she could be physically unable to make the sounds our language is made up from."

Meril sighed. "Poor thing, then she will be as good as mute for the rest of her days, too bad"

Elrond nodded, it was really too bad. "But she did bathe?"

Dilloth made a wide gesture. "Oh yes, for sure, She did enjoy it too, I bet she hadn't taken a good bath in a very long time for she was like a kid. And the shampoo did work wonders on her hair, it is absolutely gorgeous."

Elrond had to admit that Dilloth was right, Aytha was gorgeous, and way more sensual than most ellith. That body of hers was probably going to make more than a few Ellyn stare and want to pursue her too. Oh damnation, he would have to talk to the population about that, from what he had seen in her mind her tribe had a very different view upon sex than his own. He had to make sure that nobody got hurt and no misunderstandings made. He would make a speech then, before she was introduced to the others.

The next day everybody gathered in the halls as usual, to have breakfast and share the latest gossip. Most would eat there and only the ones out on patrol weren't present. Dilloth and Meril had awakened Aytha and made sure that she got dressed and prepared her for the day. They managed to explain that they were going to go somewhere to eat, and she followed them eagerly enough until they exited the door. Now she saw everything and her jaw dropped, she suddenly grasped onto the nearest pillar like a scared kid and Meril had to talk to her for a long time before she let go. There were so many colors, so much she didn't recognize at all and her eyes were enormous as she followed the two. The hall was the largest building of the valley and it made her stop again, absolutely flabbergasted and she spent a long time admiring the carvings upon the doors and walls.

Elrond had gathered the elves in front of him and he had told them that Aytha would be introduced soon. He did also tell them of what he had seen, and warned them that her people had a very different culture and that misunderstandings could occur. He did specify that her race probably had no concept of what the elves of middle earth would define as monogamy and that she could become very confused by this. That made a few raise an eyebrow or two and some did snicker. The three ellith did enter the room and Aytha was so stunned by the sheer size and the many large hearths she didn't really notice the elves assembled at first. Then she did see them and froze up, there were so many of them! And they were staring at her and she tried to hide behind Dilloth. She did see that most were taller than her people, she had been a very tall female but here she was no longer among the tallest, and the males were all larger than she was used to. She whimpered and she was shaking visibly, Meril took her by the hand and practically dragged her forth.

Elrond smiled and placed her next to him by the table, then he gestured towards the crowd. "Everybody, this is Aytha, I trust that you all will welcome her and treat her well"

Some cheered and others just smiled and Aytha sat there and felt both a bit scared and a bit curious. She saw elves of both genders there and they all wore these odd clothes and did look healthy and strong, it had to be a good place to live. Then she did see some elflings and her heart did skip a few beats, she gasped and stared, these people did also get cubs. Perhaps her dreams could come true after all. The little ones were curious and came over to take a look at this strange elleth and Aytha was beside herself with joy. She loved cubs like all of her people and let them play with her hair and literally climb all over her.

Elrond did see that she had a very good hand with the little ones, and probably a lot of patience too. If he remembered it right her race did cherish their offspring and saw them as something incredibly precious. Perhaps she could work as a baby sitter? Someone came with a bowl of porridge and a glass of milk and Aytha sniffed and looked a bit confused. Elrond had to show her how to eat it and she did empty her bowl with a speed that was rather shocking. It was rather obvious that she was used to a meat based diet but she could eat other things too and that was good for the chefs would only prepare meat for special occasions. Many came by to say hello and Aytha blushed and hid her face and tried to smile but she felt so nervous, she was shivering. But there were many handsome males there and they appeared to like what they saw and that gave her new hope and new energy.

After they had eaten Elrond took her to show her the valley and they first walked to the kitchens. Aytha was shocked to say the least, she had never seen food being prepared like that and she had to be kept under guard the whole time for she didn't realize that metal containers get warm whence put over the fire. She had no idea of what flour was or sugar, and she didn't recognize any of the ingredients except from some fish and meat. But the food did smell good and she wished that she did understand so she could learn. Then they walked down a narrow path to where they kept the livestock and Elrond had to hold the elleth still since the sight of a cow scared her witless. He had to show her that the animal was harmless and wouldn't charge and the dairy workers showed her how they did milk the cows. Aytha was in shock, why would the animals let them do that? And why did they keep the cows there without eating them?

Then she was shown chickens and geese and even some sheep. She still had problems understanding that these animals weren't for eating, they did demonstrate that they sheered the sheep and Elrond showed her where the wool was prepared, combed and spun and then they went to where the weavers worked. Aytha was suddenly very eager, she understood the technique once she saw it and she couldn't believe that her people hadn't thought of that. She even was allowed to try and she laughed and giggled and Elrond had to drag her away from the weaves. He did find her odd behaviour refreshing, almost endearing and she was so innocent and yet no child.

Then they walked to the stables and the horses made Aytha even more curious, she had started to understand that these elves kept animals without eating them, and these huge animals were very beautiful but she couldn't understand what purpose they had? She had seen animals which looked a little like them before, but they were smaller and stockier with an upright mane and all were dun. She giggled when Elrond's own horse licked her hand and she was eagerly scratching it behind the ears. The animals she had been used to had been afraid of people and these seemed to like people instead? Then one of the guards returned mounted and Aytha gaped. She just stared slack jawed at the rider who elegantly stopped his horse and swung himself from the saddle. In that moment Aytha had a revelation, the rider carried a spear and she could see how a rider like that would have been able to fell much larger prey, safely, than otherwise.

She just stared and Elrond told the warrior of her and why she reacted the way she did. Then Aytha was suddenly lifted and placed in the saddle and she did shriek and clung to the mane like a monkey. The horse did only walk and she was terrified at first but then a smile grew on her face and her ears did point upwards again. The warrior even let the horse trot a bit and she let out a peal of laughter and was obviously enjoying it a lot. Elrond couldn't help it, it did remind him so much of when Arwen was teaching how to ride. In the end Aytha was helped down, still giggling and she petted the horse and appeared to be fascinated by the tack. It was made from leather and richly embroidered so Elrond took her to the building where the tanner worked. It did stink and Aytha coughed and held her sleeve in front of her nose. She saw animal hides hanging around and she suddenly realized what they were doing at this place, but her people had buried the hides in animal dung and let them lay there over the summer. She got very curious yet again and the tanner had to show her how the hides looked after the bath in chemicals and other nasty substances and before long she did reek to high heavens and the tanner was so charmed by her enthusiasm she had gotten some very nice pieces of leather.

She carried them with her like a trophy and Elrond did show her the rest of the workshops as well. The metal workers did frighten her, she realized by now that this was something rather dangerous and she was afraid of the forges and only the silver smith did catch her attention for she saw some very nice green stones on his bench and she has seen rocks like that before, as a child. He showed her that they put crystals and rocks into necklaces and rings and she was very fascinated by it, as all females she liked to make herself pretty and she had seen that the other women there wore these shiny things around their necks and wrists. Then Elrond took her to the main buildings and she saw several portraits on the walls. She had to touch them to make sure that they weren't real people and she remembered the images the shaman would paint upon the walls. They were much simpler and she tried to wrap her head around the fact that someone actually had made them. She saw the portrait of Celebrian and noticed that Elrond looked sad, and she did also see the paintings of the twins and Arwen. They did look so much like him they had to be his offspring and she wondered if they were dead or somewhere else. She hoped they weren't dead, he was so nice and the idea of him losing all his cubs was terrible. Elrond tried to explain to her that they all were alive, just not there at the moment, except Celebrian.

Aytha understood that the very pretty woman with the silvery hair had been his mate, and the mother of his cubs, she did look very lovely and kind too, she understood that something bad had happened to her. They dropped by the library where Erestor showed her books with illustrations and she was deeply fascinated, Elrond had to drag her out of there. The music room was the next stop and she did find a flute someone had left behind and she did recognize that instrument right away. She had never seen a flute that nice but she could play it and eagerly started playing a merry tune they often sang to during gatherings. Elrond was staring at her, she did have a musical talent for sure, and the song was very nice. Her people were not completely without art then. Lindir showed her a lute and a harp and with her long fingers she could easily become a very skilled harpist. By now it was time for lunch and they returned to the hall. Aytha felt her head spinning, she had seen so much new and wonderful and she was grinning widely as she sat down to eat. The lunch was a vegetable stew and many stared at her as she gobbled through two full plates with an appetite few there could hope to copy. Erestor had entered and sat down next to Elrond. "She eats like Glorfindel!"

Elrond had to scoff. "Yes, but with less finesse"

Erestor laughed. "Oh, don't say that, you haven't seen how he behaves when he is out on patrol, all manners are forgotten then"

Elrond shook his head. "Shush with you, don't spoil the image of the perfect lord now"

Erestor just shrugged and watched as wine was being served. Aytha tossed it back like it was water and the counsellor nodded towards her. "Also a habit they have in common, I wonder how much she is able to drink?"

Elrond made a grimace. "I have no idea, I did see that they had some sort of alcohol but how strong that was I cannot tell."

Erestor tilted his head, made a grimace. "I think we are about to find out!"

Aytha had liked the taste of the red liquid and now she was draining a whole jug of it, fast. A few Ellyn just gaped, shocked by the sigh and the ellith looked impressed. Aytha burped and wiped her mouth and then her eyes seemed to glide out of focus and she swayed slightly. "Not much apparently!"

Elrond sighed and got up, grasped her and held her steady and Aytha moaned and touched her head, she hadn't realized that this sweet drink was like the bulb juice, very potent. She hiccupped and giggled and Elrond found a glass of water and made her drink it. Then he forced her to eat some bread and took her for a walk through the garden. Afterwards Dilloth and Meriel came to take her to the baths again since the visit at the tanners workshop had left its mark on her and Aytha did feel rather odd. Her head was spinning and she was a bit nauseous too. She would never again drink that much of that sweet drink, that was for sure. This time there were more elves present and Aytha immediately went shy. She tried to hide herself with her hair and the sight of several naked males made her squeak and blush. Back home it had felt natural to be naked with others but here she felt different. There was no way to see the age of the others present, nobody wore bonding braids or other signs of living with a mate at the time being and she kept her eyes down and got into the water very fast.

The males were gorgeous though, few had large scars or visible injuries and they were all so healthy. They were talking quietly and none seemed to be submissive. She couldn't help it, her eyes did creep below the waistline of the males present and the sight did make her blush even harder. They were all so…generously gifted as her mother would have put it, and Aytha started to think that maybe this race of elves were a bit different from hers in many ways. Taller and maybe even stronger, and much more wise. It had to be thus, for her people had never thought of attaching string to a piece of wood and use it to hurl sharp objects at beasts, they used spears and threw them or stabbed with them. And the metal? That too was something so new, and the fabrics, houses and animals….

She did wash and she did notice that some of the males did stare at her and they were whispering something between themselves, Dilloth told them to shut up with a rather angry voice so it had to have been something rude. The two ellith took her to the dress maker afterwards, she needed a new wardrobe and she had a very hard time understanding the purpose of underwear and a petticoat. But she did submit and allowed the seamstresses to take her measurements and then she was given a full set of rather simple clothes which had been laying there just as a reserve. The dress was a bit too short and too tight around the chest but it would do for a day or two. Aytha was exhausted afterwards and they followed her back to the infirmary. Elrond was already organizing new quarters for her, a room in a wing of the main building not far from Arwen's and Dilloth knew that it was a very comfortable one which was warm and well sheltered from the rest of the city. Nobody would bother her there and both Dilloth and Meril had become rather fond of Aytha.

The next days she was shown to the hall where they were weaving cloth and she was shown different materials and techniques and she loved it. She tried to learn the names of the methods and even though her attempts at pronouncing them caused some laughter she felt that she was accepted and even liked. The weavers did in fact like her a lot for she made them think about what they were doing in a brand new way and Aytha loved trying everything out. She had to be almost carried out of there when it was time for food and she did eat with a lack of sophistication then which made many just gape. She had to finish so she could return to her work. In just a few days she did weave a pretty large blanket and the head of the weavers did praise her a lot. The blanket wasn't perfectly woven but for a beginner it was very good and Aytha was beaming with pride.

Her new room was incredible, she couldn't believe that it was all her own and her new clothes too made her want to weep with gratitude. Everybody had noticed her laughter and her smiles and they had grown fond of her. Elrond tried to keep his distance though, he was afraid he would grow too fond of her for she was obviously not much older than his daughter and he had a peculiar feeling when he watched her. He just knew that she wasn't for him, that the ways of her race would cause him heartbreak. It seemed as if the females of her people would become bonded to males who were a genetically perfect match for them and these bonds could last for just a night or for a lifetime. He had tried to sort through her memories many times to see if she had bonded but since she never had given birth she probably hadn't. He just wished that he could have understood what he heard while visiting those memories.

She was too easy to fall in love with and so he backed off, he was sure that she would find someone perfect for her, someone who could give her children and a happy life. But it was tough, he decided to regard her as a relative, a niece or something like that. It was safer that way, he was after all not really a widower and he would meet Celebrian again whence it was time to sail. The knowledge of her experiences made her even more tempting, to her it wouldn't mean that much if he tried to sleep with her, it would just be something they did for fun, for pleasure. There would be no commitment, no heartbreak, and no emotions involved. He did have needs, and they hadn't disappeared even so long after his wife's departure. He would often dream of her and the dreams could be very erotic and he did feel a bit ashamed of himself but he did masturbate from time to time. It had to be his human blood, it made him unable to control his desires the way elves did.

No, trying to sleep with Aytha wasn't right and he feared that she would get a bad reputation if someone found out too. Instead he left her to Dilloth and Meriel and they reported to him every day. She did make progress, some words were almost understandable now and her zeal did impress him. She was soaking in knowledge like a sponge and Erestor had given her a few books and some pens and paper. She would sketch every evening and revealed a huge talent, her sketches were exquisite and showed images from her home and Elrond was stunned by them. They showed a world very different from their own, and some of the images were a bit unsettling. She did draw dead or dying hunters, injured by their prey, she drew mammoths, trapped in deep pits dug into the ground. She also drew funerals and mourning relatives and Elrond decided that the infant had to be burned since that was the custom where she had come from.

They held the ceremony the next evening and Aytha was very sad but she managed to stay in control of herself and the laments which were sung did make her feel melancholic. Dilloth and Meril came over and hugged her and she accepted that, it felt soothing and good. She had started to make plans for the leather she had been given and her mood was a good one, she was looking forward to each new day, to meet new wonders and new people.

Then one evening there were horses spotted entering the valley and Elrond rushed to the look out point, it was his sons and some others returning and he let out a sigh of relief. He changed and ran to meet them and he was glad to see that nobody was missing, in fact a group of Dunedain rangers did accompany them and they did also bring some young men of more normal background. Elrond saw that Elladan and Elrohir looked a bit grim and he understood that there were grim news awaiting them all.

The twins embraced him, then they bragged about how many orcs they had slain, two hundred and twenty three in all and then they dragged him aside. The humans were there because their village had been sacked by orcs, these were the sole survivors. The dunedain had agreed to take them in and train them since all were relatively young men who had been out hunting when the attack came. Elrond did feel that there was something his sons didn't tell him and he knew that they would speak, whence in private. He smiled and welcomed the guests and the servants came for their horses. The young humans seemed to be utterly stunned by what they saw and it was a reaction the elves by now were rather used to.

Elrond put an arm around each of his sons, feeling overjoyed by the fact that they both were unharmed and back where they were safe. He took them to his office and both got rid of their armour and helmets and sat down, obviously tired. Elrond waited, he would let them speak first and Elladan pulled his hair back and sighed. "The orcs are getting more and more vicious ada, but that is not what worries us."

Elrohir nodded. "No, the humans are good lads, except two of them, I cannot explain it but…they feel wrong!"

Elrond knew the feeling, he frowned. "Do you think they could be a threat?"

Elladan shook his head. "No, but they can cause some unpleasant situations I am sure, they are drunkards, and a bit on the rude side."

Elrond nodded. "Alright, I will ask the guards to keep an eye on them both. "

Elrohir stretched himself. "We ran into lord Glorfindel the other day, he will be returning soon but he and his troop just has to finish their job first, apparently there are goblins inhabiting some tunnels way too close to some farms"

Elrond hissed, "Oh I hope he does take care, goblins are nasty"

Elladan snickered. "Eru, you know Fin right? Careful isn't even in his vocabulary, he will charge in screaming something about the fall of Gondolin and then the goblins will be butchered like chickens. Easy as pie"

Elrond had to nod. "That is what I am afraid off, but come now, the fires are lit and there is food ready. "

Both got up and hung their cloaks by the hearth, followed him out. There were lots of warriors celebrating a safe return and both they and the dunedain rangers were singing and hollering and eating with a disturbing lack of manners. Elrond sat down and was handed some stew and the twins flirted with the waitress and were rewarded with an extra huge portion. As they sat there the door opened again and Dilloth, Meril and Aytha entered, the twins had seen the two ellith before but Aytha was new and both stared with huge eyes at the strange female. Elladan dropped his spoon and Elrohir had to clear his throat. "Eru's mercy, that is the nicest pair of…Ah, a very shapely….chest I must say, who is she?"

Elrond sighed, of course the twins did notice her, they did flirt with anything wearing a skirt! He did quickly tell them of Aytha and her story and both Ellyn gaped. "From another world? Are you serious? And they all died, Aiii, that is horrible!"

Elrond took a swig from his cup. "Yes. Tragic!"

Aytha had sat down by a table with the other two and she waved her hand at Elrond and smiled widely, many of the newcomers had noticed her and whistled and she blushed and looked away. Elrond felt a sudden surge of anger, was he jealous? Dan squinted, he did notice that his father for a moment had looked more than a little pissed off and the young ellon stared at him and whispered. "Ada? Don't tell me that you…you know"

Elrond made a grimace. "NO, nothing like that. She is…not for me, I am sure of that"

Elrohir wetted his lips. "Really? She is stunning, imagine you and her together? You would make a gorgeous pair"

Elrond tried to smile but there was an ache in his chest. Dan shrugged. "Or she and Glorfindel, they would look stunning"

Elrohir punched his brother in the side. "Oh give me a break will you, everybody knows that the lord of the golden flower never have looked at a female twice, he prefers warriors, hardy and muscular and reeking of filth and sweat"

Elladan just chuckled. "You are right, Fin is as gay as they get, but honestly ada, why not try your luck? Someone will for sure for she is by Eru the best looking one I have seen in a very long time"

Elrond almost sneered but managed to turn it into a sly grin. "Oh, why don't you try then? It is about time you both settle down and have some kids, I do want grandchildren you know!"¨

Both twins paled, that was a conversation they had had one time too many and they swiftly changed the subject. Now they started talking about orcs instead, and the best method of decapitation. Elrond had to snicker inside, he knew his sons very well.

Aytha and the two others did enjoy the evening meal and then they returned to the weaving but Aytha did notice the newcomers. Some of them did look strange, they had hair in their face and their ears were round and they did smell funny. They weren't ugly, not really anyway, but different and she got curious. What were they? Dilloth tried to teach her the words for human and Aytha mimicked her but as usual it came out all wrong. That made them all giggle and laugh and Aytha was glad she had found friends like these. She trusted Dilloth and Meril, they were nice and she knew that they only wanted what was best for her.

The next day was quiet, many were trying to heal a hangover and so nothing much happened, the guests were placed in some guest houses on the outskirts of the city and the warriors were debriefed and started to repair their weapons and see to their horses. A couple of days went by, Elladan and Elrohir did feel that their father liked the new elleth, and they felt that he ought to pursue her but they did also understand his reasons not to. He couldn't remarry, and it wouldn't be fair to her if he just kept her as his mistress. That wouldn't be accepted by the people and could cause major problems later on. Both found Aytha to be charming and kind and also fascinating but they did face a problem they had faced many times before, they both liked the same female! Instead of becoming upset or even argue they both stayed away from her and let others flirt and try to talk with the mysterious beauty and they knew it was the right thing to do. Nothing ought to split them apart, a female least of all.

Aytha no longer had to be followed around by Dilloth and Meril, she knew her way around the city now and Dilloth had shown her where to find fresh vegetables and even berries and fruits. There were orchards outside of the city and now she was heading there to pick some apples. Aytha loved apples, she had never tasted something like that before and she had found that she loved them and the bowl she kept in her room was empty so she needed more. She was whistling a merry tune as she walked into the orchard and started finding some nice red apples. A group of riders went by and she didn't really think about it, she was used to warriors riding by now and didn't pay any attention to them. One of them rode a giant white horse, and he wore a very nice armour and a blue cloak. He wore a helmed too and had to be an officer and he did for a second stare at her but rode on. Aytha just kept picking, still humming peacefully.

Glorfindel had been half asleep as they rode into the valley, the fight against the goblins had been a nasty one, ugly little critters everywhere and they would bite if you let them but he and his warriors had cleansed the nest completely and burned the bodies. Now he was eager to return to his bunk, a jug of ale and the arms of his latest conquest, Belegorno. He did catch a glimpse of something odd, slowed Asfaloth down a bit. Red? Then they got a clear view and he saw that it was an elleth with dark red hair, picking apples. He had never seen an elleth with that colour before, not here in middle earth at least. Not that he had been looking for females didn't really mean anything to him but she had to be a newcomer, he would have noticed the hair colour for sure, it reminded him of the Fëanorions and he had never exactly loved the sons of Fëanor.

He was eager to talk to Elladan and Elrohir, he knew they had killed a lot of orcs but he could honestly claim to have personally sent three hundred and two goblins to hell so he was pretty sure he would win their little bragging contest. But the female had seemed almost familiar in some way, like he had seen her before but where? He kept trying to remember but he couldn't, it was annoying. But he forgot about it when he reached the city, Elrond did welcome him back and he went to find his two favourite students to empty some jugs and tell some tall tales. Later that night he did bring Belegorno to his room and they did make up for lost time almost until the sun got up and things were as they ought to be.

The human guests did make themselves noticed, the two young men were just as Elladan and Elrohir had described it rude. They would wolf whistle at the ellith, shout obscenities and even try to grope some butts. Elrond was afraid he would have to demand that they were removed from the city and the rangers did give them a rather strict speech which made them behave differently, for a few days. Elrond just couldn't help it, he felt that these two meant trouble, big trouble.

Aytha and Dilloth were out picking nuts and by noon Dilloth had to return to take care of some other work she had promised to do for the head of the weavers. They used nuts to dye yarn and needed more and Aytha had learned to communicate rather well now, using hand signals and drawings. She agreed to stay behind and continue her work and she kept going until it got too hot to do more. There was a small pond nearby so she went over to have a quick bath and dove in. The pond was cool and it felt nice, she swam around for a while before she sat on a rock to do her braids again. She whistled and felt the sun warm her when she did notice that the birds had stopped singing and the forest felt very odd. She raised her head, confused and a bit nervous. Something was off, but what?

She didn't even have time to scream before two rough hands grasped her, one over her mouth and one around her waist and dragged her off. Another set grasped her legs and she wriggled desperately but ropes were tied around her and a piece of cloth pushed into her mouth. She didn't understand, it was two humans, she had seen them among the guests and their eyes, they were so odd, so cold. One of them grinned, he was missing several teeth. "Hello there you little elven cunt, now we are gonna have some fun"

Aytha didn't understand the words but she did understand that these men had some sort of evil intent and she let out a wail of fear which was smothered by the gag, someone had to help her, this wasn't right, this wasn't right at all!


	4. In wrath and in love

Chapter four: In wrath and in love….

Aytha didn't understand, in fact she understood next to nothing. The two humans hauled her off like a sack of flour and she tried to kick and scream and wriggle but she was too tightly bound and the gag muffled her cries almost completely. She sort of understood what these two males wanted though, and it caused her great confusion and also fear. It was apparent in their eyes and the way they touched her and she struggled with the very idea of what they were doing. She had only once heard of a male forcing a female into doing something of a sexual nature and that one male had been thrown off a cliff. Were these humans insane? Perhaps this was normal among them? She had no idea and she was dragged off into a small canyon which was rather hidden. A river had run through it once but it was gone now and dense bushes covered the ground.

At a turn someone had built a sort of shed, it had probably been used as a simple shelter for the guards when Imladris was being built but now it was more or less forgotten. It was still standing but that was simply because the roof was good and the walls of the canyon sort of leaned outwards and protected it from the rain and wind. The two had to have found it by sheer coincidence and they had cleared out the old leaves and moss on the floor. It was still just a shed but it was dry, and not too close to collapse. Aytha was tied to a hook in the wall and she felt her heart thundering in her chest, someone had to discover that she was missing, she needed help and she needed it now. The two men stood there and they were arguing, it was rather obvious. They were gesturing towards her and shouting and then they just left. Aytha was trembling, she was cold and wet and still very afraid and she had no idea of what these humans were planning to do next.

She was left there alone for a long time, she struggled to break free from her bonds but the ropes were solid and the knots good too and she just couldn't gather her strength in an efficient manner. She sobbed, nobody had ever treated her thus, her mind had problems coping with it for it was simply too alien a concept for her to understand. She missed Dilloth and Meril and Elrond too, she wanted his protection and his gentle care now and felt like a child once more. A couple of hours went by before the men returned and when they did they brought yet another prisoner. Aytha was just staring in absolute shock, it was another elleth but this one was just a child, perhaps at the mere start of puberty and still rather small and thin. She felt sick, her stomach dropped and she just couldn't believe it. They couldn't hurt a child? No, this had to be some sort of misunderstanding, it just couldn't be real? Nobody would harm someone that young?

The two men had brought a jar of something and they did drink from it, grinning and laughing and their voices got slurred and their eyes had that creepy expression yet again. Aytha saw that the other elleth was tied up just like herself and gagged and the poor thing was crying. She was a dark haired one with large grey eyes and those eyes were filled with an expression of disbelief and fear. She had a few bruises on her face and Aytha wanted to comfort her, to take her away from these creeps but how? She was helpless and she just hoped that help would come. Someone would surely discover that she and this little one were missing. Aytha closed her eyes and hoped that the men would become so drunk they didn't manage to harm the child or herself, that was the one hope she had now.

Dilloth had discovered that Aytha was missing when she came to the pond and saw that her clothes were there. At first she had just assumed that the somewhat wild elleth had run off in the nude since it was rather warm but then she saw footprints and drag marks and panicked. She ran to the city and rushed into Elrond's office so fast she almost collided with Erestor who was on his way out with his arms full of scrolls. The tall noldo almost reared back and raised an eyebrow and Dilloth bowed swiftly. " I apologize, but this is important"

Elrond looked up from behind his desk and he immediately knew that something was very wrong indeed, Dilloth looked like a sheet of paper and her eyes were huge and dark. "What is it?"

The elleth gasped for air. "Aytha is missing, I went to find her and found only her dress and small clothes by the pond, and I saw signs of a struggle"

Elrond felt cold all over, like he had walked into an ice cold shower. He got up so fast he almost hit his knees on the desk. "What?! What sort of a struggle?"

Dilloth leaned onto the doorframe, she was short of breath for she had ran so fast she barely had time to breathe. "She had been dragged off, I saw two sets of footprints, human boots"

Elrond swallowed hard, his eyes turned dark and Erestor hadn't seen his lord look thus since the battles of the last alliance. "The two scoundrels, it is them. Oh Eru!"

He ran over to the dresser and opened it, pulled out a sword and some boots. "Erestor, gather the city guard, we have to find her, fast! Those bastards could be…"

He didn't manage to say the words and Erestor nodded "I know, I am off, right now"

He turned and ran off and grasped a horn which hung on the outside of Elrond's office door, it was only used in a time of emergency and would gather all the guards by the main square right away. He blew it while running and elves stopped and stared at him with huge eyes, hearing that sound they all knew that something was terribly wrong.

It didn't take long before all the guards placed within the city limits came running and with them Glorfindel, he had been at the practice field and wore armour and two swords. He did look confused. "Erestor, what is wrong? Orcs?"

The librarian shook his head. "Two of the humans the dunedain brought in have been acting like true scum and now they have kidnapped Aytha, the elleth Elrond rescued"

Glorfindel just stared for a few seconds before he managed to understand what Erestor just had said. "What?! The redhead? But…"

Then he realized why they had taken the elleth and his eyes suddenly shot blue lightening. "Swine, where did they get her?"

Erestor told him and Glorfindel made a gesture, "Five of the guards, yes, you over there, follow me to the pond. We may be able to track them. The soil is hard and dry now but they have left some clues for sure, we are talking about humans here"

The five guards came over and Glorfindel was about to run off when they heard some commotion and a small group of ellith came running. One was crying and she held a shawl in her hands, it was blood on it. "My daughter, please, she was sitting in the garden embroidering and now she isn't there, I just found this"

Elrond came running now and he stopped dead in his tracks and went pale. "Eru no, not another one."

Glorfindel sneered. "I am gonna get them, oh by Morgoth's rotten teeth, I will kill them"

Elrond looked almost tired. "Then go, do it, get them. Please save the girl and Aytha, she…she is very precious to me"

The other guards just stared as Glorfindel ran off and Elrond gathered his thoughts and tried to look calm. "The rest of you, get out there and make sure that nobody leaves the valley, those bastards will not get away"

The Ellyn all nodded and took off and Elrond swallowed hard. The idea of a human trying to violate an elleth just made him sick, and the fact that it was someone he cared for made it even worse. He managed to stay strong but it took a lot of willpower. Erestor touched his shoulder, gently. "Glorfindel will find her, worry not. He knows this valley like the back of his hand, every rock and every tree"

Elrond nodded but his mind was reeling. Aytha probably had no idea of what abuse or rape was, if someone indeed went that far and committed such atrocious crimes against her he feared that her mind would break. And he had no idea of whether or not an elf of her race would fade from such violations, the way elves usually does. He wanted to go out there and look for her but knew he couldn't, he was the leader and had to stay there to keep an eye on everything, keep things organized. But he would much rather run off, and try to find her than sit there and just wait, possibly for the worst news imaginable.

The two humans had been drinking what was left in the jar, and now they were kneeling next to the young elleth, tearing her clothes off. Aytha heard her scream through the gag and she tried to free herself but wasn't strong enough for it. She fought well, but two strong men was too much for her and Aytha felt nauseous. Those two were fondling the young one in a manner she never had seen before, like she was a piece of meat and Aytha couldn't believe that someone could treat a female with such a lack of respect. One of the men got his pants down and the other held the dark haired elleth as his friend got on top of her and Aytha turned her head the other way, she couldn't watch. She just heard the other elleth's terrified screams and felt how the fear and the agony the young one was forced into made her tremble with fear for herself. The human let out a roar and the both of them laughed, the other one took his place and the elleth was just making these awful sounds now. Aytha knew she would be next and the only positive thing was that she wasn't a virgin, she knew what this was all about. But what these humans were doing was wrong, it was just incomprehensible to her. She couldn't wrap her head around that sort of behaviour, she just couldn't. She dared to turn her head and see, the other elleth just laid there now, not moving and quiet and her eyes were open and they were sort of empty, just staring into nothing. Aytha realized that she was dying and her own panic grew to a whole new level.

The two men repeated the foul deed a couple of times and the young one appeared to be unconscious, she was completely limp and didn't respond to anything and so the two got bored and started eying Aytha. She was already naked so there were no clothes to remove and they started to grope her and she growled and tried to head butt one of them as he bent down to try and kiss her neck. The human tried to pry her legs apart but she resisted with all her strength and she was strong, way stronger than the young one had been. She was well muscled and used to hard work and now it paid off. She managed to kick one of them in the gut and both swore and the other one hit her in the face, so hard she was seeing stars. They flipped her over and she realized that they tried to take her from behind so she did her outmost to keep her legs tightly locked together and her hips low. The two were so frustrated they were yelling at her and kept hitting her but she refused to give in, she would rather die than suffer the same fate as the other elleth and she would have bitten if she had managed to get rid of the gag. One of them smacked her across her rear and she shrieked and tried to squirm her way out of the ropes again.

That was when the wall of the hut seemed to almost disintegrate and Aytha looked up and saw a very tall male elf with long golden hair and striking blue eyes and he did look absolutely stunning but also frightening. He held two swords and his teeth were bared in a sneer. Behind him she did see several more elves and she let out a yell of relief, she was saved. The two men grabbed for their knives but a knife is little use against well armed elven warriors. Both were knocked to the ground and Aytha saw that the Ellyn noticed the young elleth and all looked stricken. The tall golden haired one walked over and knelt down, felt her neck and he closed his eyes with an expression of grief and agony on his face. Aytha understood that the young one was dead and she felt tears running down her face, it was horrible. One of the Ellyn cut the ropes holding her and wrapped his cloak around her and she stared at the tall golden one. She felt her heart skip some beats, by the ancestors, this was him. This was the one she was waiting for, she just knew it. Everybody knew that feeling, there was no way you could misinterpret it and she just sat there on the floor, gaping. She had found him, it was a miracle.

Glorfindel had been absolutely shocked by the fact that these humans had dared to lay their dirty hands on one of the elves, and tracking them had been rather easy whence they came to the pond and found the first footprints left by them, Glorfindel knew of this small canyon and he did also know of the hut and so he and the others had ran straight for it but they were too late to save the little one.

The sight of the dead elleth, with her empty eyes and bruises and the blood on her thighs almost made him lose it completely. He had seen too many dead elves in his life, and this reminded him of the attack on Gondolin. The two humans were held down and he saw that the other elleth, the one Elrond obviously fancied stared at him with an expression of awe on her face. He was used to that, many did look rather slack jawed when they realized who he was but she was reacting in a very odd manner. He had to look at her again, she was very exotic and very beautiful but that didn't affect him at all. Yet he had an odd sensation at the back of his head, like he did know her, he just didn't understand how? It was an annoying and nagging sensation, like trying to walk with a pebble in your boot and he shrugged and chose to ignore it. There were more important tasks at hand than staring at some elleth, no matter how pretty she was. But the feeling was pretty dang strong, oh he bet it was the shock talking, seeing a dead young one could really warp ones emotions for sure.

Aytha blinked, feeling confused, she stared at him as he went towards the two humans. Everybody knew how to react when they met a true mate? Nobody ever hesitated, it was unheard of? She felt it very strongly, that incredible urge which rushed through her entire being, the need to bond so that a new life could be conceived. She was almost panting with the sheer force of this primeval drive and he had to feel it too, so why didn't he come to her and take her hand, show the world that he accepted her and that he indeed was ready to be her mate? Could it be that he was busy and wanted to wait until things calmed down? Yes, of course, there it was. She smiled to herself, she was silly. He seemed to be a male of extremely high status and he probably had duties to perform before he could come to her. She relaxed, things were done differently here than back home, she had to understand this.

Glorfindel stared straight at the two humans, both had the audacity to swear at him and he stared straight at them, sneering. "You have violated one of our females, and she wasn't even come of age yet. She was a child damn it, and now she is dead because of you two monsters"

One of the men just shrugged. "She was probably older than us both"

Glorfindel knew that he had Elrond's trust and that he could act on behalf of the lord of Imladris when he needed to. "I shouldn't have to tell you this but the penalty for causing the death of one of us is death. "

The men paled. "Listen, it isn't our fault she couldn't take a little cock, she just passed out on us."

Glorfindel felt how white hot rage threatened to overwhelm him. "Elves do die if raped, a life which should have lasted all the ages of Arda has been cut short because of your filthy lusts. I am gonna enjoy sending you both to Namo, he will probably find a very suitable punishment for you. If there is justice in this world you will be reborn as the swine you are"

The two looked shocked. "It's just a woman, what does it matter?"

Glorfindel could hardly believe what he heard. "Just a woman? She is someone's daughter damn it, the sister of one of our best guards. We do not treat females like crap you son of an orc."

He waved his hand at one of the guards. "Take them outside, I want them to suffer before they die!"

Both men let out shrieks of protest and fear and struggled but they were dragged out of the hut and tied to a tree each. Aytha walked out of the hut on her own legs but she was wobbling and felt dizzy. The horror overwhelmed her, two guards wrapped the dead elleth in their cloaks and Aytha felt warm tears flowing down her cheeks still. It was just too horrible to describe and she felt an ice cold rage when she looked at the two men. They would have done the same to her as they did to the poor young one and she was both relieved she got away and horrified that this happened in the first place.

Glorfindel stood in front of the two, he used the tips of his swords to cut their pants so they fell off and both men stood there squirming and sweating, begging for mercy. The Ellyn present all looked as if they were carved from stone, their training prevented them from showing any emotions but Glorfindel felt them. All of them were furious and shocked and stricken with grief and disgust. He spun his blades in his hands, this day he had chosen two rather short swords, not much larger than the blades the wood elves preferred. They were incredibly sharp and he took a deep breath. "You robbed an innocent child of her life and her virtue. It is only just that you lose your manhood before you die!"

He did a swift move with one of the knives and the first man let out a piercing cry of agony and shock and stared down, blood was gushing from the wound where his genitalia had been and Glorfindel made a grimace and repeated the action on the other one. Both were screaming like stuck pigs and the golden haired warrior spat at them both. "You are nothing but scum, filth, lowlier than orcs. I loathe the ground you have stepped upon."

Both were fading fast due to the blood loss and the shock and he made a swift move yet again and decapitated them both. It felt good, like having removed a festering boil from an injured comrade. He put his blades back into their sheaths and nodded at the guards. "Cut the bodies down but leave them here, let the birds and the maggots feast"

He went over and lifted the covered body, carried it off with respect and one of the other Ellyn grasped Aytha and carried her. She kept staring at Glorfindel, why didn't he come to her? Why didn't he say her name, touch her, show everybody that she was his? She had never been so confused in all of her life and grief and shock mixed with the emotion and made her almost paralyzed, she just hung onto the one carrying her and she thought that if the shaman had lied to her it had been the most horribly wicked lie ever.

Elrond had been waiting with his nerves aching and his heart beating too fast, he was pacing back and forth and Erestor had rarely seen him so distraught before. He let out a yelp when he saw that Glorfindel entered the square carrying a covered body. He felt a sickening mixture of grief, shock and relief when he realized that it wasn't Aytha and then he felt guilty for the relief for it meant that an innocent young one had lost her life and it was just awful. He ran forth and saw that Aytha was being carried by one of the other guards, she did look very pale and her eyes were just too large and the expression within them one of pain. Glorfindel swallowed, his eyes were full of tears. "They raped her, those sons of bitches just…They are dead Elrond, I killed them"

Elrond nodded, he couldn't have cared less about the two men, they deserved it. He lifted the cloak from the dead elleth's face and had to groan and turn around, the expression of shock and fear in the eyes was still enough to make anyone cringe and he tried to stop himself from crying but couldn't. "Put her…put her in the infirmary. Erestor, please…inform her family..,"

Erestor nodded and went off and Elrond walked over to Aytha, she seemed completely passive and Glorfindel tried to smile. "We came just in the nick of time, they hadn't started…uh…using her yet"

Elrond let out a sigh of relief but there was no doubt that she was in shock and that the experience had been a horrible one and she had a peculiar expression on her face he just couldn't understand, it looked almost like disbelief. He lifted her out of the arms of the guard and carried her, Glorfindel dismissed the guards and told them to spread the news and Elrond ran to the infirmary. He had to check that she was okay, and he felt her heart beat too fast and tears ran down her face. She was cold and trembling and he couldn't lose her, no, that was not an option. Not now, not after all she had been through. She clung onto him like a burr, like a child seeking comfort from a parent and he whispered soothing words to her as they almost ran. Her scent was in his nose and he felt her warmth and had to fight the urge to hold her even tighter. She kept staring at Glorfindel though, and her expression was one of hopeless longing and he felt his heart sink within his chest. How many females hadn't fallen for the golden haired captain? Or males for that matter? They all ended up being heartbroken and he closed his eyes in sorrow. Please, don't fall in love with him, his inner voice was pleading with her even though she couldn't hear him. It would break him to see her tormented thus, pining for someone who wouldn't even look at her. That would be just cruel , the valar couldn't be that wicked now could they?

They rushed into the infirmary and Glorfindel went to a room where they kept corpses, someone would come to wash and prepare the deceased one before the family was allowed to see the body and Elrond carried Aytha to the examination room. She was still passive, trembling and sobbing and he stroked her hair and wished to Eru that he could have spoken to her, and made her understand. He put her down on a bench and she didn't protest as he removed the cloak she was wrapped in, She had some marks from the ropes, some bruises and cuts but nothing serious and he let out a sigh of relief when he understood that the two humans indeed had been stopped before they had time to violate her. He gave her a cup of wine with some sedative in it and then he just crossed his fingers and hoped that she would be able to put it behind her.

Aytha kept staring at the door where the golden haired one had disappeared, she almost whimpered. Where was he? He had to feel it too, there was no way he didn't feel the pull! It couldn't be fought, everybody knew that. She did know of a few who had tried since they just didn't like each other but that didn't end well. Usually both ended up getting physically ill and she had heard horror stories since she was a child. When you met someone who was a true mate you had to do what the urge bid you to do. And to her people that was a joyous thing, a thing most wonderful and what they all longed for. A terrible thought entered her mind, what if these elves didn't feel it at all? What if they were too different? She almost wailed and rocked back and forth, what if he thought she was ugly? The mere idea made her feel chilled to the bone, the shaman hadn't mentioned her meeting anyone else capable of being a true mate to her, this was her one chance.

Elrond saw that she was very upset for some reason and he tried to comfort her but she kept sobbing and crying and he wished he knew why. Was it the kidnapping which had caused it? Glorfindel returned, he did look very sad and Elrond knew that this had had quite an impact on him. Imladris had been safe for ages, and now this… It was a terrible shock to them all and he feared that the captain would blame himself for not having recognized the danger earlier. Elrond saw that Aytha was staring at Glorfindel yet again, her eyes huge with some sort of hope and longing mixed into one and he sighed. Glorfindel on the other hand ignored her but he too had a peculiar expression on his face, and he seemed to look at her whenever she looked away. The captain turned his back to the elleth and made a grimace. "We left the bodies to rot, they don't deserve better. The family of the young one is coming soon, they are apparently in shock. I fear they may leave for the havens rather soon"

Elrond nodded and he heard Aytha sob again. Glorfindel made a small gesture. "How is she doing?"

Elrond grimaced. "Not too good, I don't think her race even has a word for what almost happened to her, violating someone like that is unheard of I bet."

Glorfindel frowned. "But she knows death right, and sorrow too. She'll overcome it for sure"

Elrond sighed and frowned. "Tell me friend, how do you explain evil to someone who has no idea of what that is? She has encountered death yes, horrible deaths too but never deliberate wickedness. To her the act of wilfully hurting someone has to be completely alien. I fear the shock of witnessing what happened to poor Lauriel may become a mental trauma"

Glorfindel shrugged and turned to leave. "You can fix her, I have faith in you. I have to debrief the troops now, good luck with the little one's family"

Elrond felt how his mood took a dive for the worse and Aytha let out a small wail as Glorfindel left, she stared after him with an expression of utter disbelief, as if she had expected him to stay there. Elrond found a dressing gown and put her into it, she just let herself be dressed like a doll and then he carried her back to her rooms. She seemed so terribly sad and he wished that he could understand her better.

He put her to bed and stayed until she did fall asleep, then he returned to the infirmary just in time to comfort a group of sobbing and wailing elves and trying to explain to them why this had happened to their beloved one was hard. Elves have no feeling of desire directed towards those so young, to be attracted to someone not yet mature is simply unthinkable and Elrond knew that they still didn't understand, even after his explanation. But Glorfindel was right, most of the family would leave as soon as possible and Elrond could do nothing to stop them. He did tidy up the infirmary before he went to his office to write down a report of the incident. Afterwards he was going to return to his own chambers but he decided to drop by Aytha first, to see how she was faring. She was in bed as he had left her and asleep and he stood there, staring at her. He had to be careful, so so careful. His heart was in jeopardy here and his reaction to her capture told him that he already was way too emotionally involved. But what could he do, he had to help her adapt and she seemed to trust him. Did he have the self-discipline needed to stay calm and cool and at a distance? He had no idea, and by Eru, he didn't really want to find out.

Glorfindel also went to his own chambers when he had finished his duties, he found some food and wine and sat down to eat but his appetite sort of waned away. He kept seeing that dead elfling and it made his stomach churn. He had never thought that he would see another death like that again, ever! He had never had any true opinions when it came to humans, some were noble and others not so much so but now he had seen a side of them he just loathed. He managed to finish his meal and emptied a half full bottle of wine, then he laid down. He missed Belegorno who was out on patrol, he would have felt better with the familiar warmth of his lover next to him. But that other ellith. Aytha, her face sort of hung in his thoughts all the time and he had this weird sensation still. It was actually very annoying and he kept squirming for more than an hour. What was it with that female? Yes, she was what the others would define as attractive but he was not attracted to females, he surely had tried to sleep with ellith but it hadn't really been that good. He was afraid he would harm them since he was rather passionate whence aroused and he found the muscular bodies of his fellow warriors to be much more attractive. But she wouldn't leave his mind and he remembered what he had seen in the hut.

He swore and cracked open another bottle of wine, drained it and laid down again, he had this peculiar ache within his body, and he felt as if there was something he ought to do, but what? And why? What had she done to him? He had never felt thus before, it had something to do with that redhead for sure. He remembered the expression in her eyes when she saw him and wondered why in Eru's name she had looked so thrilled, did she know something he didn't? He did finally fall asleep, feeling as if he had been fighting a hard battle.

Aytha had a horrible night, she was seeing nightmare visions of the horrible deed done to the young one and she was back in the hut again, tied up and helpless. Then she saw how the ice had ruined her entire world and she wailed with sorrow and despair. She saw that tall golden haired one and felt his indifference as he turned his back on her, it hurt. It hurt more than she could have imagined that something ever would and she sobbed and wept. If he didn't feel it she was forced to endure this with no relief, there had been no case of this ever, someone feeling the pull and the other part of the couple being oblivious to it. It was impossible, or was it? These elves could be completely different from her people and she let out a long wail of sorrow, she should have died, it would have been better. If he didn't feel it she would just have to suffer, and she had no idea of for how long.

Perhaps she simply was too different from the elves here? Her body was not as that of the females of this tribe, that was for sure. She had been so proud of her womanly figure but here it was obviously seen as odd. She wept herself to sleep yet again, the ache in her heart relentless and piercing. She could have been so good to him, and their cubs would be so lovely and strong, she was sure of it.

Elrond got up late, he was feeling tired and strangely out of focus, there was something tearing into his mind but he didn't quite know what. He got dressed and had some tea, Erestor came by to deliver some reports and he told that the dunedain had been shocked by the thing the two men had done. They had known that the two had been of dubious moral but they hadn't imagined that they would go that far. The dead elleth would be burned that evening and the family would leave within the end of the week, Elrond couldn't blame them for that, it was understandable. He walked to the infirmary, his mood a dark one. Elladan and Elrohir had ridden off to inspect the guards by the main entrance to the valley so they were not going to pester him that day, and it was a good thing. He entered and found Aytha sitting on the floor in a corner, her eyes red and her cheeks streaked by tears. His anger dissipated right away, he knelt down and offered her a hand. She looked like a wounded soul, and his empathy and compassion made him forget his own misery.

Aytha sniffled and took his hand, she whimpered and her face was so sad, so terribly so. He reached out and pulled back some lose locks of bright auburn hair and she let out a small gasp. "I wish you could have told me what the problem is little one, what is ailing you?"

She tilted her head and sighed, her expression told of great despair and he embraced her gently. "If you only could speak our language young one, I wish I could help you"

Aytha sort of understood what he was saying, but she had no way of answering it. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tried to at least say something. "Ugly?!"

The voice was so sad and he frowned, the word was not one he recognized and she tried again, it sounded like a cats meow as usual and he had to really twist his brain to understand what she was trying to say. "Ugly? No, you are not ugly Aytha, what makes you think that?"

She closed her eyes and sighed, he didn't see the problem now did he? Her true mate had rejected her, why? What was wrong with her? Elrond did understand that something had upset her and that it was rather serious, had she developed a crush on Glorfindel? Valar forbid, that would only bring misery. He tried to gently push her back towards the bed, she ought to eat and he wondered if he ought to give her some herbs known to help against depression. Aytha suddenly did a quick move and put her arms up around his neck and held him like that, obvious in need of comfort and he tried to turn them around but tripped on the carpet and they both ended up on the bed in a heap. Aytha landed on top of him and she giggled and blushed and Elrond squeaked, having her laying on top of him wasn't unpleasant but she was so warm and soft and he realized that he was tempted like few times before. She was wearing just a dressing gown and it had opened up so he had her chest resting uncovered against his own and he stared down and had to swallow hard.

He had seen her breasts before, as a healer would. But he was unable to enter that state now, in this moment he was flesh and blood and nothing more and he let out a gasp, he was at the end of his self-control. Aytha looked down, she saw that his eyes had turned dark and she could smell that his thoughts had changed too, she ground her hips against his just to test it out and she let out a gasp as she felt him harden against her. A rush of sheer delight filled her, she wasn't unattractive after all! When such a high ranking male wanted her there was still hope. Elrond tried to lift her off him but that had an unwelcome side effect, she sort of slid forwards and he got her charms pressed against his face as she tried to sit up. He had never even looked at other females after Celebrian left, he had always been proud of his self-discipline. But now that was crumbling like a rotten wall for a cave troll, he let out a thin grunt and then he leaned forward, nuzzled the temptations straight in front of him.

Aytha gasped and closed her eyes in sheer bliss, yes! She was strong again, more than ready for a male and she had missed being intimate with someone. This was nothing like the things she had seen the day before and she just gave into her need. She pulled him up so she sat straddling his hips and Elrond surrendered. He grasped onto her, the robe went flying and he started to kiss and lick her nipples. Aytha gasped and arched into the touch, her eyes dark with need and she started to tear at his clothes.

Elrond knew it was wrong, by every one of the valar it was wrong but he couldn't resist, his hands were caressing warm skin and he helped her getting his clothes out of the way, He was almost mad with impatience, the onslaught of sheer lust too strong to be fought back and he flipped them over and got her under him. He kissed her, and she answered it with just as much hunger as him and the sensation was simply indescribable, Eru it was too good, it simply took his breath away. He pushed a hand down between her legs and found her wet and ready and from that second his mind simply went blank. He had no control anymore, no conscious thoughts. She wrapped her legs around him with surprising strength and he slid into her with a hoarse roar. Aytha squealed, arching back, eyes closed with relief and joy and she followed his rhythm perfectly. Her hands grasped onto his butt, as if she wanted him to go even deeper and harder and it was so good he thought he could just die from it. Celebrian had never been this unrestrained, this free.

Aytha knew she had been right when she assumed that he would be amazing in bed, he was. He gave her sensations she never had felt before and before long she felt her climax burst through her body, making her tremble all over. She would have screamed if he hadn't kissed her to muffle the sound, and she heard him groan and almost growl as he followed her into absolute ecstasy. She let out a final wail of pleasure and relaxed, almost giddy with happiness. Surely this was all the proof she needed, there had to be some other reason why the golden one hadn't come to her. Perhaps he had some partner who would refuse to accept it if he followed the urge? It would be alright, she was sure it would sort itself out. She had been bedded by the male with the highest status within this valley, that ought to make her extremely sought after by the others, and she would probably be claimed by her true mate rather soon. She closed her eyes and dozed off, satisfied and happy.

Elrond laid there and tried to gather his thoughts, he felt both elated and terrible at the same time. He had cheated on Celebrian, and he had become intimate with a patient, both things were horrible in his mind. But at the same time it had felt so right, so terribly so and he couldn't regret it, not completely. He hadn't felt such pleasure for centuries and he sort of felt that he belonged with her, but by Eru, how was he to explain this to everybody else? And what did she think of it? The risk was that she saw this as just a moment of pleasure and naught more, after all her people had no idea of what monogamy was, and that would leave him with a lot of heartache. He already knew he was in love with her, whether or not he did love her for real was too early to say but he feared that he was trying to fool himself if he tried to pretend that this was a mere crush.

He saw that she had fallen asleep and he covered her gently with blankets and got redressed. His body still hummed with the aftermath of his pleasure and his legs felt weak and wobbly and yet he felt physically better than in a long time. He combed through his hair, smeared some ointment onto the scratches she had given him and felt a surge of pride. He had really managed to satisfy her and that was nothing to just ignore. He sprayed some perfume onto his robes, he still smelled of sex and had no time for a bath. He almost ran to the office and was stopped at the door by Lindir who held an envelope in his hand. The sweet minstrel smiled. "This letter just arrived, it is from Lothlorien"

Elrond felt a sting of worry, could something be wrong with his daughter? He opened it and read it and then he went pale and had to lean against the wall. He had gone from the ashes and into the fire, Galadriel was coming, following Arwen back home. And his former mother in law would know of this, as sure as the water was wet! He closed his eyes and groaned, Eru, he had truly messed things up royally now. How was he to explain this to the lady of the golden forest? He was a dead ellon for sure!

Sorry it has been so long since the last update, I am working on a novel and have a deadline and so I have had to prioritize that but as soon as it is finished I will update my stories more often.

I have gotten the idea for the "pull" and true mates from Elfquest, I guess it works a bit like recognition in that comic series. Fighting it is futile.


	5. Resistance is futile

Chapter 5: Resistance is futile….

Glorfindel felt like crap, he had a terrible feeling of having forgotten something and his body felt sluggish and odd. He was snapping at the recruits he was to train and he kept making blunders, he wasn't himself, that was for sure. In fact he was so grumpy and tense everybody did notice and stayed as far away from him as they could, an angry Glorfindel wasn't someone you wanted to deal with. He just wished that his lover had been there, a quick tumble would most certainly have helped with the problem.

Aytha on the other hand was slowly loosing her feeling of optimism, she had been so sure that things would change, that her golden one would come to her but he never did and now Elrond too acted odd around her. Had she done something wrong? She kept sitting in the garden and she felt more and more depressed and yet the urge kept burning in her. She had lost all appetite and her body felt just terrible. Why didn't he come? It was no way around this whence the urge was felt, everybody knew that. He didn't have to stay with her at all, just do what was needed and then he could leave for all she cared. But they had to mate, it had to be done. She was wailing and crying and Dilloth and Meril tried desperately to comfort her but they couldn't, they didn't understand what the problem was and so they could just hug her and try to show that they were there for her.

The valley was of course in mourning and many were in deep shock, the death of that young one was just horrible and so unexpected. Even in war such things rarely happened, the young were protected and kept out of harm's way at all costs. The dunedain rangers were in shock and were afraid that the elves now would start to regard them too with suspicion but luckily they didn't. They knew that the two humans had been the odd rotten apples in the barrel and didn't blame the rangers at all. The funeral was a very sombre one and most were crying, the elleth's family were to leave within the week and guards were chosen to escort them to the havens. Elrond tried to keep himself busy with work, he didn't want to think about what he had done and what could happen. He had to confess his sins, there was no way around it for sure, Galadriel would know everything almost immediately when they met and he had to just prepare himself for the scolding of this millennia.

He was very worried though, Aytha seemed to deteriorate a lot, she refused to eat and she seemed to be in discomfort the whole time and he had no idea of what it was that was ailing her. Could it be the shock? He did think so at first but then he sort of rejected that idea, she was tough, and he was sure this was something even more serious. He tried to spend some time with her but unfortunately the infirmary was flooded by the local humans who suffered from a bought of stomach flu and he had so much to do he was left in a state of fatigue. For some days he was working like mad and then one evening he was suddenly faced with a new patient, Glorfindel. The captain had gotten a nasty cut in his shoulder and Elrond had to gasp when he saw the balrog slayer. Fin was pale, his eyes bloodshot and he had lost weight, his hands were shaking and he did look desperate. "What has happened?"

The soldier who came with the captain made a sheepish grin. "One of the recruits managed to nick him, it is the first time that has happened"

Elrond just stared, a recruit? Wounding Glorfindel? That was bloody impossible, something serious must have taken his attention. Elrond helped the tall blond down onto a chair and Glorfindel made a nasty grimace, it was very obvious that he was ill somehow and Elrond was puzzled and even more so, worried. "What in Eru's name has happened to you?"

Fin just grunted and held his arm up. "That is pretty obvious now isn't it, I was too slow to parry and he managed to get in under my guard"

Elrond frowned. " I am not blind thank you, no, I meant, you are obviously not well!"

Glorfindel hung his head and moaned. "I feel like crap Elrond, seriously, I cannot even explain it, I cannot eat, cannot think, my mind is a mess and at night I cannot even close my eyes once. I feel like I have ants crawling everywhere!"

Elrond frowned, that did sound rather odd and uncomfortable too. He cleaned and stitched the wound on the captain's shoulder and then he checked Glorfindel over thoroughly. He had no fever, his heartrate was normal, Elrond couldn't find anything wrong but obviously something was very wrong indeed. He was seriously confused. "Fin, I cannot find any ailments of the physical kind, is something else bothering you?"

Glorfindel almost growled, "No, why are you asking? I am fine! This is not in my head if you think so!"

Elrond immediately knew that Fin was hiding something but he also knew that the balrog slayer was so stubborn it was impossible to make him talk unless he wanted to. Elrond would just have to be patient and wait until the tall golden one decided it was time to talk. For the rest of the day Elrond kept wondering what the problem could be and he was so frustrated he spent a few hours in the library, trying to find out if the medical books there could provide him with an answer.

The next days were busy too with the preparations for a festival and so Elrond didn't see Glorfindel for a week and when he did he was stunned. Glorfindel was just a wreck and he had not showed up for work for two days, and that was unheard off. He was in bed and seemed to be in pain but wouldn't tell Elrond anything about his symptoms and Elrond was forced to drug the captain so he could get some much needed sleep. Aytha too was very ill, she was loosing weight and there was no spark in her eyes, no hope. She just sat in the garden looking as if she was about to fade at any moment and Elrond felt so terribly guilty. Had he somehow mislead her when he gave in to his desires and bedded her? Was this his fault? The mere thought was horrible and he felt like the world's worst coward but he didn't dare to stay with her for more than a short period of time each day. He instructed Dilloth and Meril to give her some herbs and to try and feed her regularly and then he was off again.

The next morning he was awakened by Lindir who was rapping on the door rather vigorously. "My lord, the scouts have spotted the lady Galadriel's entourage, they will be here in two hours"

Elrond just groaned and got up, he felt rather sure that this day would be the worst he had had since his brother made his choice. He took a quick bath, ate and made sure that he at least did look representable. He did miss Arwen but the idea of facing his mother in law now was not exactly the most jolly of thoughts. The group entered the valley and he spotted Arwens grey gelding and she was riding pretty hard. Before long he was hugged vigorously by his daughter and she appeared to beside herself with joy and he managed to smile and look happy.

Galadriel sat on her huge white mare and was helped down by one of the guards, she looked as radiant as ever and she wore a rather elegant riding suit made from soft green velvet. It made her hair look even more striking than before. Elrond did bow deeply before her. "Welcome my lady"

Galadriel smiled and cocked her head, she took a look at the elves who had showed up to welcome her and Arwen. Elrohir and Elladan were already discussing something with their sister and she appeared to be very eager to show her friends some new dresses. Galadriel frowned. "Isn't Glorfindel here?"

Elrond took a deep breath. "Ah, no. He is…ill"

Galadriel looked worried. "Ill? I think you need to explain this to me Elrond"

He felt his face turn stiff. "Uh yes, but not here, I will talk to you later, there is something we need to…discuss"

Galadriel smiled and nodded but he could see from her eyes that she did realize that something was off. The group was escorted to their rooms and given some time to bathe and prepare and then there would be a grand dinner in their honour. Elrond felt as if he was walking on needles the whole time, he was afraid that Arwen would notice his odd behaviour so he did allow her to sit by her friends sharing all the gossip which had accumulated there since she left and she was laughing and giggling and having a good time. Elrond on the other hand felt Galadriel's eyes on him the whole time and he barely managed to eat anything, what was he to do?

The dinner and the entertainment lasted way into the evening and the valley was quiet when he finally had the time to sit down with the lady of the golden woods. Galadriel had changed into a gown made from very thin blue fabric and it made her look ethereal, and cold. She sat down in his study and her eyes were calm but he could sense that she was curious, and worried. "I don't really know how I am to tell you this…It is…complicated"

Galadriel leaned back, her eyes got narrow. "Then start at the beginning dear"

Elrond took a deep breath, he felt like a kid who has done something wrong and is about to be punished by a strict teacher. Galadriel had folded her hands in her lap and he felt a need to stutter as he started to tell of the day when the humans came with this odd elleth they had hauled out of a lake. Galadriel's eyes got huge as he continued tale and told her of what he had seen in Aytha's mind and she did look genuinely shocked. But Elrond had to confess what he had done, he didn't try to hide it and he felt his face burn with shame as he admitted to having slept with the redhead.

Galadriel took a deep breath, she did look stunned and a bit disappointed but most of all she looked confused. "Elrond, what in the name of Eru have you gotten yourself into this time? This does sound like…oh I am not sure! But Glorfindel is ill too? Can't you see that there is a connection?"

Elrond cringed. "Uh, I didn't think that far"

Galadriel sighed. "Elrond, I do love you and I hope you know that. You have been like a son to me since we first met and I know that you never do things out of recklessness nor stupidity. But this was stupid dear, it was very stupid. You have hurt yourself and I bet you have hurt her too, she is probably very confused right now."

Elrond swallowed frantically. "I know damn it, I know! But…I…just couldn't help it!"

Galadriel took a deep breath. "Elrond, you have some human blood, I bet that is what caused this misery. A full blooded elf probably wouldn't have given in to temptation but enough of that. This is not the time nor the place to place blame on anyone. What is done is done, and we just have to deal with the consequences. I do hope that we may be able to help her and Glorfindel too, like I said, there has to be a connection there"

Elrond stared down, something within him cringed at the thought of Aytha being with Fin, it just didn't feel right. Galadriel got up and walked over, embraced him gently. "Oh my dear, you have been so lonely, don't think that I don't understand for I do. But she is not for you, not the way you would like it to be. Of this I am certain"

Elrond tried to stay calm, he felt his heart ache. "So what are we to do?"

Galadriel took his hands. "I am to meet this young lady, and maybe I can get to the bottom of this mystery. Something is clearly wrong and if we can't see through the cultural differences souls may be in jeopardy"

Elrond tried to gather his senses. "She is in the garden, she barely leaves it these days"

Galadriel had a firm expression on her face. "Good, show me the way. We need to deal with this now! Before it is too late"

Elrond took her by her hand and they walked to the garden. Dilloth sat in the room Aytha had been given embroidering and she got up and did curtsey when she saw the lady. "My lord, my lady. Aytha is outside, do you wish for me to go and get her?"

Elrond waved his hand. "No, we'll go to her. How is she today?"

Dilloth shook her head. "Weak, absent minded. She seems to have lost all interest in life. She did drink half a cup of tea, but that is all she has gotten into her this day"

Galadriel did look shocked and Elrond petted Dilloth on her arm. "You are doing well, others would have given up on her a long time ago."

They went out into the garden and Elrond saw that Aytha sat in a hammock under a tree, she was not moving and could have been a doll. Elrond was frightened by the sight, she did look terrible. Galadriel stopped and stared, her eyes rather large and Elrond had never seen his mother in law looking thus before. "Oh Eru…."

Galadriel walked forth and sat down and Aytha became aware of them, she saw Galadriel and tried to move but she was too weak. It was obvious that Aytha saw that Galadriel was an important person and that she tried to show submission. Galadriel reached forth and took Aytha's hand. "Don't worry little one, no need to get up"

Galadriel stared at Elrond, she had a very shocked expression on her face. "Elrond, she is fading?!But why?"

Elrond shook his head. "I don't know, but she has been acting so oddly around Glorfindel, and I think she has some sort of crush on him"

Galadriel frowned. "A crush you say? I think this is something very different from a mere crush, come here, sit with me"

He sat down hesitantly and Galadriel nodded towards the redhead who looked confused and scared. "You went into her mind, but you are not as strong as me. Together we can figure this out, are you with me?"

Elrond nodded. "Of course, but how?"

Galadriel raised her hand, he saw her ring and grunted, of course, the power of the rings could be used also for such purposes. "I will make her sleep, then we can see if it is possible to figure out what the problem is. We can enter her memories and it will be as if we are there, with her, in real time."

Galadriel went over and sat down next to Aytha, the elleth did look nervous but she didn't protest and Elrond held her hand as Galadriel embraced her and slowly made her go to sleep. Galadriel kept cradling the young elleth's upper body in her arms and the two rulers linked hands and closed their eyes. Elrond felt a jolt, then he saw again, and this time it was very different indeed.

The vision was so much clearer and he did understand what they were saying. He was staring at a huge group of Aytha's tribe, perhaps a few hundred and they were marching along a river, heading south. He stared at this people who by now didn't exist anymore and felt a strong surge of sorrow. He took a deep breath, tried to concentrate upon his task. Galadriel was standing beside him, she looked very fascinated too and she was pointing toward the horizon. "There, it is another group, heading this way"

Elrond could see Aytha in this first group, she was carrying a huge pack of furs over her shoulders and she looked happy but tired. There were elflings running around the adults and some males were armed, obviously protecting the tribe. The other group met this first one and greetings were exchanged. It was a very friendly meeting and they saw no signs of hostility but it was obvious that these two groups had some differences in culture. It was obvious in their clothing and jewellery and also in the markings on their faces. Elrond and Galadriel watched as the two groups made camp together, and prepared a feast. Galadriel was listening to what they were saying, the language was beautiful but odd and it was also very simple. Some words seemed to have several meanings depending on the context. They were obviously having a good time and Galadriel stepped forth, walked like a ghost among them, staring at each and every one as if she wanted to etch their faces into her mind. One of the females got up to get a bowl of something and a male from the other tribe beat her to it, he lifted the bowl first and gave it to her with a smile and suddenly the two just stood there, staring at each other for several seconds without blinking.

The others obviously noticed for they stared and then some started to cheer and clap and whistle and the two elves sort of fell into each-other's arms kissing like mad. The male lifted the female up and carried her off into one of the tents and the sounds which followed from the tent told anybody who had their hearing intact that the couple was very busy indeed.

Galadriel stared at Elrond, her eyebrows almost touched her hairline. She seemed to focus her energy towards the tent and her face went slightly red but there was an expression of understanding on her face, as if she suddenly had seen the light somehow. "Oh Eru, I see, come, we have work to do!"

Elrond didn't understand anything but he sort of closed his eyes and felt that odd jolt and then they were back in the room and Aytha was still sleeping. Galadriel was a bit pale and her ring was glowing slightly. She shook her head and groaned. "There is indeed a connection Elrond, and it is one unique for her race."

Elrond rubbed his forehead, he was getting a headache. "Do explain"

Galadriel bit her lower lip. "It is actually an ingenious trick of nature to prevent inbreeding and to make sure that the individuals who are strong and fit do reproduce. I have never even heard of anything like this, but it is real"

Elrond tilted his head. "And?"

Galadriel sighed. "From what I could see in their minds it is a sort of urge, to mate. It appears when someone who are capable of producing the best possible offspring do meet, it is in their blood so to speak, an instant pull which cannot be fought off."

Elrond frowned. "So, Aytha is feeling that…ah…pull? Towards Glorfindel?"

Galadriel nodded and closed her eyes, she did look tired. "Yes, to her people this is something sacred, a most joyous event. It means new life, it is how they do reproduce Elrond, they cannot conceive unless they feel that urge. She must feel so horribly disappointed and most of all rejected. Nobody would ever reject their mate like she has been rejected"

Elrond felt his heart drop a few inches. "So she does need to…ah…mate! With Glorfindel?!"

Galadriel nodded. "Yes, or else she will get very sick and possibly die. It is such a strong feeling Elrond, I felt it through her mind, it is agonizing and terrible, it cannot be fought."

Elrond rubbed his nose. "But Fin isn't of her people, how come he feels it then? For he does feel it right? That is what has been ailing him?"

Galadriel nodded. "Yes, it is. He too feels that strange urge, and strongly too. The moment they met she knew he was meant for her, that they are compatible and the connection was made. I cannot explain it in any other manner. It is blood calling out to blood. Her fêa made the connection with his and pulled him in, it is the females who instinctively activate this odd mind link"

Elrond hesitated for a moment. "Galadriel, Glorfindel does favour males, and he has no interest in her at all. Are you sure it cannot be removed somehow?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes, from her mind I could see that nobody in their right mind would try to fight it, it was their way of ensuring the survival of their people, as ancient as they were. There is no way around it Elrond, they must come together, if only once. That will be enough"

Elrond felt his mind spin and he blinked twice. "Ah, excuse me if I am wrong but if they do…come together, won't that mean that there will be a…baby?"

Galadriel nodded firmly. "Yes, that is the point of this urge, creating a new life. If they do this there will be a conception and she will carry his child. No way around it."

Elrond groaned. "Oh wonderful, I cannot wait to tell Glorfindel of this, he will be so thrilled! He doesn't have any room in his life for a family"

Galadriel looked down. "No, he isn't ready to settle down, I don't think he'll ever be."

Elrond looked devastated. "But she cannot live here as a single mom?! What when the day comes and we all leave these shores? If she comes with us to Valinor she will be viewed as a fallen woman, as someone of dubious moral"

Galadriel touched his arm gently. "I know, and yet the deed must be done, they won't have any peace before they do."

Elrond swallowed hard, staring at the unconscious elleth. "Galadriel, I do care about her, a lot. I cannot just stand here and let her become the laughing stock of our society? She will become an outcast. Glorfindel will never marry her, never love her. He won't even desire her damn it. He will have nothing to offer her, or their….offspring"

The idea of Aytha carrying Glorfindel's child hurt, oh Eru it hurt. Galadriel nodded slowly. "It is a dilemma for sure. Our society does have rules which are so different from the ones she is used to, and to us an unwed mother is unheard of. But I fear for them both if they don't give in soon. There is a link between their fear now, and it cannot be broken until they have done what that old instinct tells them to do. If one is to perish so will the other too"

Elrond cringed. "It is like bonding then?"

She nodded. "Yes, a bonding born of biology. I pity her, everything here is so different, so alien to her. When you slept with her she was sure that it would solve problem, that your high status would mean that all the other males here would be eager to bed her, Glorfindel included. Their culture was indeed very strange, but who are we to judge. To her we are just as weird."

Elrond took a deep breath. "So what are we to do now?"

Galadriel got up and her face was a bit melancholic. "You go to Glorfindel and tell him of this, make sure that he does understand the severity of the situation. He cannot refuse, if he does he will only get worse and eventually fade"

Elrond felt a lump in his throat, this was actually rather awful. He could understand that it probably was a very clever trick from the hands of nature to ensure the health and strength of the race but here in their world such a system created naught but problems. Aytha's people had owned no feeling of shame when it came to sex, to them it was as natural as breathing or drinking and the chance to conceive an elfling something they all longed for, perhaps they had been luckier than his own people after all, with their hidden but still strong rules regarding almost every aspect of life. Galadriel stroked Aytha's red hair lovingly. "Poor little one, so scared and so confused. But we will make it right, we will make sure that you get the happiness you deserve."

She turned to Elrond again. "I will ask Dilloth to help me carry her into the bed. You go and get Fin, they cannot wait much longer"

Elrond nodded and turned toward the door, sluggishly. He hated the idea of Fin sleeping with her, it was…no, it was just… It made him feel sick somehow and the idea of her having to face the prejudice of others heartbreaking. He made it to the door before Galadriel called out to him, softly. "Elrond, you are doing the right thing, it doesn't feel that way now, but believe me, there is no other option"

He sighed and got out, managed to look normal as he strolled to the rooms which belonged to Glorfindel. This was not a conversation he was looking forward to, not at all! Glorfindel was asleep when he walked in, the golden haired warrior laid in a heap of sheets and he was sweaty and kept making small moans the entire time. Elrond had to stop and stare, he knew that he had to push his own feelings aside and view this from a healer's standpoint. There were really no way around it, Galadriel had showed him that. He sat down and shook Glorfindel gently, praying in his mind that his friend would accept the truth without any protests. Fin opened his eyes and groaned, he winced and tried to turn away. "Eru, get rid of that light, it hurts!"

Elrond sighed and put a hand on Glorfindel's shoulder, tried to look as calm as possible, "Fin, I think we may have discovered why you…aren't yourself"

Fin sat up, he looked dizzy and his eyes were almost shut, he did look as if he had a terrible hang over. "You have, great, what can be done about it?"

Elrond made a grimace. "Ah, now, here is the problem, you see…."

Fin squinted. "There is a cure yes? Don't bloody tell me there aren't…"

Elrond tried to smile. "Oh, there is a cure, but you won't like it"

Glorfindel rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me it is like that terrible goo you made me swallow that time I got hit by that orc arrow? It was beyond horrible, I can still taste it"

Elrond took a deep breath. "It is nothing like that, I promise. You see, Galadriel is here and well, she saw something…"

Glorfindel was starting to look tense. "Right, spill it, I can take it, no matter how bad it is"

Elrond thought to himself (I wonder) but he put up a brave face and told Glorfindel everything and the balrog slayer got more and more pale. He listened though, until Elrond stopped talking and then he just stared at the healer, his eyes almost black with some sort of emotion Elrond simply couldn't identify. "Sleep with her?! You are telling me that I have to bed that redhead in order to get well again?!"

Elrond nodded slowly. "Basically yes, but Galadriel think that once is enough"

Glorfindel stared at him, eyes very cold and expression one of utter disgust. "No way, I don't care how bad I will feel, I am not doing it and that is period. I will not cheat on my lover like that and I have no interest in her whatsoever!"

Elrond whimpered. "But…it will harm you both if you…"

Glorfindel sneered. "You cannot know that for sure, I am certain it will pass! I am not going nowhere near that female, do you hear me? I have heard about her and the customs of her tribe, for all I know she could have slept with several dozen males and I have heard rumours about you and her too"

Elrond felt himself blush and he cringed and Glorfindel pointed at him. "Aha, guilty as charged right? You have fucked her haven't you? And now you want me to do her too? Are you nuts? Or do you perhaps need some moron to become the scapegoat and take the blame for a mistake of yours?"

Elrond almost gaped, it wasn't like Fin to be that aggressive, nor as nasty. But it was probably just a side effect of his condition. "You know I wouldn't do that to you Fin, you have to listen to me, your very being is in danger!"

Glorfindel huffed. "I do not believe you, to Namo with that redhead. I can fight this, I am not afraid"

Elrond just sighed and rolled his eyes and tried one last time. "Come on, it cannot be that bad? One quick roll in the hay and you will be back to normal, she isn't ugly"

Glorfindel looked genuinely pissed. "Says the one who already has tasted the lady's charms! I am not sharing your whore Elrond, forget it. Now be gone from my room before I throw you out!"

Elrond had to get up and he felt a surge of strong despair. What were they to do now? He took a deep breath. "I am leaving, but for Eru's sake, please! Do reconsider, this is no game!"

Glorfindel just turned around and Elrond had to leave the room, feeling as if his heart was about to burst. He walked slowly back to Aytha's rooms, and he entered with a sigh. Galadriel just looked at him and her eyes became huge. "He refused!"

Elrond nodded. "Not only did he refuse, he called her a whore, and he acted in a most peculiar manner."

Galadriel closed her eyes. "Laurefindë was always stubborn, even as a child. He isn't easily persuaded and he doesn't always knows what is best for him. I need to think!"

Elrond sat down and sighed, staring at his mother in law. "Then do think fast please, before they both fade!"

Galadriel took a deep breath and snapped her fingers. "He has a lover right? If he won't listen to us then maybe he will listen to that ellon"

Elrond grimaced. "He is out on patrol, won't be back for a week, I have no idea of where he can be right now"

Galadriel smiled, a sly grin. "But I know someone who can solve that little problem. Worry not Elrond, we will get him back here. I am sure Glorfindel will listen to someone that close to him"

Elrond closed his eyes, he did hope so to, or else he had no other option than to drug the balrog slayer and he knew beyond any doubt that Glorfindel never would forgive him if he did, not until the end of the world. This situation had gone from bad to worse, and Elrond could just hope that Galadriel did know what she was doing.


	6. Children of tomorrow

Chapter six: Children of tomorrow

Elrond was trying to stay calm, to stay optimistic but it was so darn hard. Aytha had to stay in bed now and he had drugged her to make her sleep just to prevent her from losing all strength and Dilloth and Meril never left her side. They all were in despair. Elrond had to admit that the mechanisms behind this urge did make him curious but it also made him feel very sad. Aytha did suffer because of this, and she didn't deserve that at all. He tried to be a healer first and foremost but it wasn't easy at all. Galadriel had gone off into the woods for a while after their conversation and when she returned she looked tired and yet relieved. Why he had no clue. Glorfindel was refusing to budge and he did avoid them all, he was barely able to leave his rooms by now and everybody knew that something was wrong.

Elrond tried to keep a lid on the truth for as long as possible and nobody had a slip of the tongue but rumours did spread rather fast. Elrond just hoped that Galadriel managed to get Glorfindel's lover Belegorno back there fast. If the golden haired one didn't listen to the healer he ought to at least pay attention to what his lover said. A couple of days went by and then Belegorno suddenly rode into the courtyard followed by a very odd looking person. Elrond had to gape when he saw the brown wizard, the last time Radagast visited Imladris he had worn a cape completely covered with live moss and there had been a small flock of bats living in his hat. Now the bats had been replaced by a couple of starlings and the cape was starting to look like the start of a young forest with saplings and vines. Radagast grinned widely. "The lady told me that this fellow here was needed back home so I did move with haste and here he is, as requested. What is the rush about?"

Belegorno was a very tall noldo with sleek black hair and soft blue eyes, he was a skilled warrior and renowned for his skills with the spear but he was also a very level headed person and Elrond did respect the ellon. Belegorno was old and experienced and he never allowed his feelings to run amok. Now the warrior dismounted and stared at Elrond, the healer could see the concern in his eyes. "What is happening? Radagast told me something is wrong with Glorfindel?"

Elrond sighed and nodded slowly. "He is right, that is the truth yes. Follow me, I will explain but you do need a stiff drink first for this…is rather unique"

Belegorno frowned and looked worried, he followed Elrond to his office and Elrond poured a very generous amount of miruvor into a cup before handing it to the dark haired warrior. "Here, you'll need it"

Belegorno blinked and he was a bit pale. "Lord Elrond, is he dying?!"

Elrond sat down and felt very old all of a sudden, and weak. "No, not yet but…there is a possibility he will fade"

Belegorno threw the miruvor back and coughed, his eyes rolled a bit for the drink was very strong indeed. "Do explain, please!"

Elrond took a deep breath. "Belegorno, does he listen to you? How deep is your connection?"

Belegorno bit his lower lip. "We are very close yes, and he does listen to me, we respect each other"

Elrond nodded. "Good, now, you do know of the elleth who was found in the high lakes?"

Belegorno nodded, his eyes narrow. "The gorgeous but somewhat odd redhead yes?"

Elrond brazed himself and started telling of the current situation and Belegorno just gaped and looked a bit shocked. "Are you telling me that he will perish unless he beds her?"

Elrond looked down, feeling extremely uncomfortable. "Basically yes"

Belegorno made some odd grimaces. "Elrond, he only beds males. He is as gay as they come. Yes, he has tried to sleep with females but it didn't do anything for him at all. You cannot tell me that this is the only solution? It cannot be done by anyone else?"

Elrond shook his head. "No, it has to be him"

Belegorno swore. "Damnations, if he only was like me and swung both ways. I don't think you can persuade him into doing what is needed Elrond, he is as stubborn as a mule"

Elrond tried to smile. "Thank you, I do know!"

Belegorno took a deep breath of air, he did look determined. "So, how much time does he have? And what about her? How is she?"

Elrond stared at the floors again. "She is miserable and fading fast, it has to be done fast, or else they both will suffer lasting effects."

Belegorno nodded and his eyes were dark. "Elrond, there is only one way to do this. Fin will never yield to anything being forced upon him. I do know that for certain. We have to trick him"

Elrond frowned. "Trick him?"

Belegorno grinned, a stiff and rather odd smile. "Yes, drug him senseless, put me and her in bed with him and I will make sure it happens. I know him, believe me. It is the only way"

Elrond swallowed hard, two males in bed with her at once, oh this did sting, a lot! "You do know that there will be a baby as a result?"

Belegorno smiled, a sad smile. "Yes, I understand. Listen, Fin will never accept her, I just know that. He is too fond of his freedom and I don't blame him. Back in Gondolin old Turgon kept everybody in such tight reins it all but choked everyone. Fin hid his true nature Elrond, and it was like dancing on a razor's edge the whole time. If needed I can pretend to be the father, or at least offer her some protection"

Elrond frowned. "What do you mean?"

Belegorno looked a bit sad. "I can marry her? Listen, I am not in love with Fin, he is dear to me and it is a sort of love between us but he isn't the love of my life. That person was lost ages ago and I know I will meet him again when I cross the sundering sea but until then I can do something good and at least make sure that this female and her child is taken care off, when Fin is unable to bow to common sense"

Elrond was shocked. "Are you serious? You are willing to marry her? Why?"

Belegorno made a small smile, and it was a very melancholic one. "Why? The answer is very simple Elrond, I do want a family, but I know that I cannot live the conventional way. I do have a restless soul my lord, and strong desires too. And I know that I never will sire offspring of my own, it was foretold a very long time ago. I cannot bond with anyone to such a degree that a conception is possible. But I can adopt someone else's child"

Elrond stared at him. "Belegorno, you were abandoned as a child weren't you?"

The dark haired noldo nodded, a hint of something cold in his eyes. "Yes, I am old Elrond, my mother was a noble woman from Lindon, born just after the war of wrath. And she was married off to one of Gil-Galad's captains, to seal an alliance between two houses. She didn't love her husband, and she suffered a lot. I was the result of that one time she did give in and went to her true love and her husband treated me like the bastard I was. I will not allow another innocent child to be treated thus again"

Elrond was shocked, he did remember the constant powerplay of ancient Lindon, how high elves kept trying to gain influence in the vacuum left after the great cataclysm and the death and disappearance of the last sons of Fëanor. He cleared his throat. "You are doing a most noble thing, I hope you know this"

Belegorno smiled and bowed his head. "Maybe, time will show. So, how are we to do this practically?"

Elrond got up, he felt frantic all of a sudden. "Listen, we have to make sure he does cooperate, I have drugs which will ensure that he does, but it will also blur his senses and hopefully it will make him give in completely"

Belegorno smiled. "Great, give it to me and I will make sure he drinks it. Bring her to his room in a couple of hours, I will have prepared by then"

Elrond went over to a closet and opened it, he found the right herbs and mixed a tincture rather fast, there was hope again and yet his heart felt as if it was frozen within his chest. Belegorno put a hand on his shoulder. "My lord, I doubt that I will manage to stay true to her, and I will not demand that she stays away from others. I can see how you feel about her, I will not stand in your way in any manner."

Elrond had to smile. "I thank you, but do not mention this to Galadriel please, I doubt that she will understand your offer of a mock marriage"

Belegorno chuckled. "Oh don't underestimate her capability of understanding. She has seen a lot."

Elrond had to cringe. "Oh yes, those were indeed true words."

He handed Belegorno the flask with the tincture. "Give him three drops in some wine, no more. We will come with her soon."

Belegorno smiled and bowed before he left the room. Elrond remained sitting for a while before he left the room. Radagast had waited in the garden and he did look curious. "What is this all about?"

Elrond sighed. "I will explain later my friend, but now things has to be done."

The maia cocked his head and the eyes were suddenly keen and bright, showing his true nature. "Worry not Elrond, things will be alright in the end"

The healer managed to smile back. "Thank you"

He ran off to the infirmary and got some other medicines and then he went to Aytha's room. Dilloth and Meril sat there by the bed, they were embroidering and Aytha lay on the bed and she was covered with sweat and looked very dishevelled. Elrond took a deep breath. "We have found a possible solution, get some water and wash her, and braid her hair. We are taking her to Glorfindel"

Dilloth frowned. "Has he changed his mind?"

Elrond shook his head. "No, but Belegorno is here, and he thinks he can coax our balrog slayer to do the deed, while drugged."

Meril made a grimace. "That is a bit dishonest"

Elrond nodded. "Oh yes it is and he will probably be pissed off but it is for his own good. And Belegorno has agreed upon pretending to be Aytha's husband, to protect her from vicious gossip"

Dilloth looked a bit flabbergasted. "Really? I know he is a very kind ellon at heart, but that is beyond generous"

Elrond nodded. "Yes it is, but hurry now. The faster we get things done the better!"

The two ellith started washing Aytha gently, then they got her into a nightgown and Elrond got some of his apprentices to carry her on a stretcher. Luckily it was midday and hot so nobody was outside to see what they did. Belegorno had indeed followed Elrond's instructions, Glorfindel's room was dark and cool and the golden haired one laid on the bed, eyes closed as if in deep sleep but he was writhing against the sheets and he was buck naked. Elrond felt a sudden need to run, to turn his back to this whole thing and just go away but he couldn't. Belegorno stood there wearing just a dressing robe, his eyes were soft. "Don't worry my lord, it will be fine. Leave it all to me."

Elrond lifted Aytha onto the bed, Glorfindel appeared to be unconscious and he knew that the drugs left you in a state of dreamlike relaxation. At least there wasn't any discomfort involved of any kind. Belegorno walked over with a pillow. "Put her on her belly, lay this under her hips. If I am to coax him into doing this I think it will be easier if she is placed thus"

Elrond noticed that Aytha was half awake but she didn't protest, she just whimpered faintly and he felt terrible. This was really taking advantage of someone, he felt as if he was on the verge of doing a crime as bad as that of Eöl back in the first age for everybody knew that he had used his magic to subdue the strong willed Aredhel and trick her into marrying him. This was if not rape not far from it, even if it was for Glorfindel's own good. He had lost much weight already and Elrond was very worried since his health was declining rapidly.

Belegorno smiled, a soft little smile. "You can go now, you don't have to witness this my lord. I will make sure that no harm comes to her"

Elrond took a deep breath, it felt as if his lungs were about to burst. "Alright, I…Thank you"

Belegorno just bowed his head and Elrond left the room, he felt sick to the stomach and his soul wept. She wasn't for him in any way but he wished that she was, oh by Eru how he wished for this to suddenly change. He walked to his office, if it hadn't been so early in the day he would have gotten himself royally drunk!

Aytha was sure she was dreaming, but it was a very nice dream. She laid on silky sheets and she knew that the golden one was there, that he finally had come to her. The urge burned in her and she mewled and felt the scent of him, it almost drove her insane. She was so weak but that didn't matter, she laid there with her hips raised and knew that he would mount her whenever he was ready, she almost wanted to yell with sheer joy. There was another ellon there too, a gorgeous dark one but she didn't mind. She had shared bed furs with more than one person many times before and it only meant twice the joy right? She was panting with anticipation and spread her legs as much as she could, her body trembling and aching for this to be fulfilled.

Belegorno knew that the drugs Elrond had given him did make people very aroused and it was no doubt that Glorfindel was ready. He was shivering and groaning but not quite awake and Belegorno had left the lights there off for a reason. Now he stripped down and went onto the bed, started caressing his lover gently. "Fin? I have missed you, but now I am here and everything is gonna be just fine, just surrender to me."

Glorfindel moaned and gasped as Belegorno started to gently massage his shoulders the way he usually did. "Bel, oh Eru, miss….need"

Belegorno cooed. "I know, you are burning aren't you? But I will help you, just relax"

Fin whimpered. "So good to me"

Belegorno had to grin. "Oh yes, and it will be better"

He kept teasing and caressing the golden haired one until he was shivering, Fin was desperate by now and beside himself with desire and sheer need. The closeness to Aytha did contribute to the effect of the drugs and Belegorno grasped the warrior and simply hauled him on top of her. Glorfindel was in a haze, all he felt was a warm body underneath him, and instinct took over. He thrust forward and let out a loud yell of sheer bliss as warm tightness welcomed him. The world was transformed to pleasure and he kept moving in a frantic pace, desperately seeking his release.

Aytha gasped and for a second she almost passed out, the sensation was beyond anything she had experienced before, everything turned into white light and she heard herself scream in ecstasy. Fin groaned and panted, it felt so good, how could anything feel so good? His climax came suddenly and violently and made him tense up and arch against the trembling body underneath him, he roared and then he collapsed. The shock so great it knocked him out cold. Belegorno let him lay there for a few seconds, Aytha had come too and she was shuddering with aftershocks. She seemed to be almost aglow with sheer bliss and he smiled and laid Fin down next to her. Fin wouldn't wake up again for a while but it was done, the urge would disappear now if Elrond was right.

Aytha wanted to weep, she was so happy, finally he had come to his senses! The dark one seemed to be kind and he was very handsome too and she giggled and found the thought of having been watched stimulating. To her people having multiple partners was nothing odd at all and as she regained some strength she started to send him some glances which couldn't be misunderstood. She had been satisfied once but she didn't mind a second round and Belegorno grinned. "You are an eager one for sure, but why not? If I am to pose as your spouse then it is just natural I guess."

He leaned forth and kissed her and she giggled and pulled him down to her, she felt like a new person, like she had been reborn. The terrible strain was gone, so was the pain and the ache and she felt so light and so happy and everything was just wonderful. Before long she was clinging onto the dark haired one, panting with newly awakened desire and he was just as eager as her.

Elrond was called to the room later that day, it was almost midnight and as he entered he did see that Aytha was well again, She was of course still thin and pale and weak but her eyes were shining and she was grinning from one ear to the other. He supressed the sting in his chest right away, it was no doubt that Belegorno had been busy for the place did reek of sex and both were sweaty and covered with hickeys and dried fluids. Fin was asleep still, and Belegorno smiled and looked sleepy. "He did it, I will take care of him when he wakes up. If you can try to explain the situation for her I will be grateful"

Elrond nodded. "There is a cabin available not far from the river, you can live there. I just wonder if the gestation period of her people is similar to ours."

Belegorno played with some locks of her hair, she was giggling and obviously as playful and cuddly as a kitten. "That is great. I know of it"

Elrond and Belegorno got her into a dress and Elrond left her with Dilloth and Meril and she was radiant with happiness. At least one person there was pleased with the situation. Elrond had told Galadriel of the solution and although she agreed she had cringed and found the idea rather distasteful. But there had been no other option. Elrond did go to bed with very mixed emotions that night, he felt relieved that the problem had been taken care of, and yet he felt deeply unhappy too. Belegorno would take good care of her, he didn't doubt that for a second but what about Fin? Would he suck it up and act the way he was supposed to? With maturity and dignity? Would he accept the situation and the fact that he was to be a dad? Somehow Elrond doubted it, and doubted it a lot.

Belegorno stayed with Fin until he woke up the next morning, the golden haired warrior suddenly felt good again, in fact he felt almost ridiculously well and he only remembered that Belegorno had been there and that he had been touched all over. Fin was in fact almost in a haze of sheer pleasure still, he was giddy and silly and just so fucking relieved, as if a huge weight had been lifted off him. He felt like an idiot, but a happy idiot. Belegorno laid close to him and held him and Glorfindel started to come to his senses again, very slowly. He frowned. "Weren't you out on patrol?"

Belegorno sighed and nodded. "Yes, I was. But they called me back home, you were ill remember?"

Fin rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Yes, I felt like shit, and Elrond told me that….Oh Eru!"

He stared at Belegorno. "Don't tell me that…."

Belegorno sighed, "Yes, yes you did. Elrond and his helpers carried her over here and yes, you did fuck her"

Fin went pale, then red, and then pale again, he blinked and looked extremely confused. "Morgoth's rotten teeth, I….Oh I want to hate you all but…. I feel good, better than good, I feel fantastic?"

Belegorno stroked his long hair gently. "I am glad, we were worried Fin. You looked like shite, and I was afraid you would die. You are too darn stubborn"

Fin swallowed and blinked, his face showed the shock still. "Damnation, don't you…you don't blame me?"

Belegorno shook his head. "No, why should I? I got this idea Fin, not Elrond. See this as an opportunity Fin, not as something bad. At least you do have the chance of having offspring, in spite of it all"

Glorfindel cringed. "Oh balls! I forgot about that, but….I cannot marry her, it wouldn't be fair. I can never love her"

Belegorno caressed his cheek. "I know, so I will pose as her husband, it is no huge sacrifice to make, she is gorgeous and I find her fascinating. "

Fin sighed. "You have a heart that is too large for your chest Bel, I don't know what to say? You can adapt to any situation, I cannot. That is the sad truth about this."

Belegorno snickered. "You are a bit like an old plough horse, following the same old tracks day after day."

Glorfindel laid back against the pillows. "I just remember coming, and it was…it was bloody amazing. I have never felt anything like it before, so I guess I ought to thank you, for setting me up"

Belegorno smiled. "You are welcome"

Fin sighed and curled up against him. "I feel elated and yet tired, it is an odd feeling"

Belegorno had to chuckle. "You waited for too long, for the next days you are hereby to stay in bed and relax and recover, that is an order"

Glorfindel sort of frowned. "I outrank you?"

Belegorno just shook his head. "Not within these walls you don't so allow me to pamper you properly."

Aytha was giddy with relief too and she kept giggling and laughing and being so high on endorphins Meril tricked her into drinking some sleeping medicine. Afterwards the two ellith finally found some rest too and the house got quiet. The next morning Aytha woke up late, she felt so good and relaxed and more so, she knew deep within that it had been a success, she felt it. Dilloth was awakened by an elleth who was almost beside herself with joy and she had to admit that the sheer enthusiasm Aytha showed was very charming. But she soon discovered that she from now on had a lot of things to do. Galadriel started to teach her Sindarin and they slowly made progress although there were sounds she simply couldn't pronounce. Galadriel came up with the idea of sign language combined with speech and it was a great idea for Aytha did understand this concept rather well.

Elrond did confirm that she was with child and he couldn't help but feel excited too. After all, elves are fond of children and so few were born each one was precious beyond words. Belegorno started to visit Aytha rather often and she found that odd to begin with but then she got accustomed to him and started to realize that he did it for a reason. Galadriel had huge problems trying to explain the concept of monogamy to Aytha, and the cultural differences were still a very tough obstacle to overcome but she did make progress, one tiny step at a time. She started to make friends, and she tried to participate in the daily life of this place. She would often do minor blunders but she learned rather fast.

Glorfindel stayed away from her, he just didn't want to face her again and he felt guilty somehow, or rather, violated. So he pretended that nothing had ever happened and returned to his old self, pushing the recruits mercilessly like before. Belegorno tried discreetly to coax him into accepting his role in this but he turned a deaf ear to his friend and refused to even speak of Aytha. Belegorno moved into the hut and slowly Aytha too started living in it, she was growing rather fond of Belegorno since he was so kind and patient and she had no problems with the situation being as it was. Fin on the other hand never spoke of her when he and Belegorno met and even Elrond had to admit that the balrog slayer was a bit more stubborn than they had even expected him to be.

Aytha soon discovered that being a mother to be could be tough, she was sick a lot and things were made harder for her because of the diet. She was used to eating meat, and here meat was rarely on the table. She also developed some odd cravings and that for things which didn't even exist within this realm. Elrond was working a lot to try to find alternatives for he did know that this meant that her body was lacking something it needed. Now that the deed was done he felt a sort of silent acceptance mingled with light grief, he tried to give her as much time with Belegorno as possible and she seemed to appreciate that he was seeing her each day but he kept his distance too and remained professional. Galadriel had many sessions with Aytha and as the elleth got heavier and stopped moving around they sat down a lot and Galadriel had Erestor write down the things Aytha told them. She got good at using the sign language and the others of the valley leaned it too and could communicate with her rather well. She still stood out thought, her strange features and the way she showed her emotions told anyone she was a stranger but they accepted her the way she was. Many were very fond of her and her almost childlike naïve personality made them very protective of her.

All things were not sunny though, she had a very hard pregnancy and even though Belegorno tried to cheer her up the fact that Fin obviously was completely indifferent did make her feel somewhat sad. Back home the males did try to care for their mates, even if they only had mated once. Many gave her small gifts or useful items and she was beside herself with joy each time, even if it was just small insignificant things like extra food or some pretty flowers. Galadriel did her best to make sure that everything about Aytha's culture was recorded, she kept asking questions every day and the good thing was that it helped Aytha learn new words. Soon her vocabulary was almost that of a normal elf but still she couldn't pronounce many sounds and used the signs instead. She was resting most of the time and Elrond was getting a bit worried, he feared that her unborn elfling was rather large and although birthing problems were rare among elves her race could be very different in that area.

She felt like a huge lump and stayed in bed most of the time and Belegorno brought her food and books and other things to keep her mind active. She was easily bored and when bored she could become irritable and sulky like a toddler. Elrond often worried, he was afraid that she wasn't mature enough to care for a child but on the other hand she had been given responsibility for children before so it could be the situation which triggered her unusual behaviour. Fin still didn't show any interest at all in her or his unborn heir and Elrond decided that when the day came he would write Belegorno down as the father in his list of inhabitants. He had been supportive and caring when Glorfindel had not and Elrond was more and more impressed by the ellon. Aytha reached the one year mark, normal elven pregnancies lasted for exactly one year but she went over that and now everybody started to feel nervous. Elrond was beside himself with anxiety, he had never encountered something like this and he felt so helpless. Aytha was unable to move, her pelvis was aching all the time and she had started to get nervous too. Before she had been sheer optimism and joy but now she sort of turned introvert all of a sudden and didn't want to talk to anyone.

The healer knew it was fear which caused this and he and Belegorno stayed by her side all the time. Galadriel too took turns at watching over her at times and she too was starting to worry a lot. Aytha was getting lethargic, just as when Fin refused to give in, and she refused to eat. They tried to ask if this was something typical of her race but she didn't know, as a first time mother she had never been given that specific information by the midwives. Elrond just knew that the birth ought to have started by now, the baby was in distress and for a brief while he was afraid that they would have to use a c section, it was the last straw though for it could cost both mother and child their lives. She was just too weak, too drained and nobody understood why. Then Belegorno entered the infirmary, dragging a very reluctant Fin after him. The balrogslayer was swearing and cussing but Belegorno was just as large as him and extremely strong and even more so, determined.

Aytha was in disbelief, she hadn't expected to see him again and he was standing there, staring at the floor sulking like a kid. Belegorno pushed him forth and forced him to lay a hand on her belly. "Here, feel that? I don't fucking care how that baby was conceived but it is yours damn it, you created it and now it ne

eds you!"

Fin just grumbled and felt very bothered but he didn't pull his hand back and suddenly he gasped and his eyes went huge. Elrond just knew it, the child's fëa had reached out to his and Aytha moaned and went pale. Fin looked as if he had gotten the shock of his life and then he sort of tipped forwards and swooned and Belegorno had to grasp him. Elrond grasped Aytha's hand, she was shivering and he just knew that she suddenly had received all the energy she needed from Fin. From that moment on things happened fast, the labour got started for real and Elrond sent everybody out except from himself and the midwives. Births were rare so they never wasted any chance at showing their skills.

Aytha had a peculiar attitude to this, as a child of a very open minded tribe Elrond would have expected her to be rather relaxed and prepared for this but she wasn't. In fact she was completely unaware of the different stages of a birth and she soon expressed what could only be described as panic. She was screaming in her own language, tossing around and if it hadn't been for the fact that she couldn't walk she would have tried to flee the room. Elrond tried to calm her down but to no prevail, she was panting and her eyes were enormous and her ears were hanging as if she was a flogged dog. The midwives were wise ellith who had encountered a lot and now they did show their worth, they understood her better than Elrond. They realized what sort of society she was of and they became very stern although compassionate. She had to bow to the will of a more dominant female and so she did, reluctantly. Still it took most of the night before it was over and by then Aytha was completely exhausted and the entire valley was silent since everybody was afraid things would go wrong. The midwives had to pull the baby out of her and she was letting out some screams which made Elrond cringe, he hadn't even heard orcs scream that way.

But a healthy and very pretty little elleth was handed over to Elrond to be checked over and he had never seen a baby quite like this one. It was obvious that the infants of Aytha's race were born more developed than those of other races for the arms and legs were longer than on an average baby and it was able to hold its head up by itself right away. Aytha was weeping with relief and demanded to have the infant handed over to her immediately and she put the little one to her chest where it started feeding right away.

Everybody were just so relieved, it hadn't ended in disaster after all, both mother and child were alright and all the elves present were rejoicing. Aytha received a long line of visitors and got a lot of gifts and she was beaming with pride and joy. It had come true after all, her dreams had been fulfilled, she had a little one and she was safe there too and would never have to starve again. To Aytha things were perfect now but Fin didn't feel it that way, he of course saw his daughter but he sort of refused to see her as that. It was his pride which stood in the way and he allowed Aytha to find a name for the baby. He didn't want anything to do with it at all. Elrond was a bit angry at him and he wasn't the only one but Glorfindel was stubborn above everything else and refused to look at things from a different angle.

Aytha gave the infant the name Torla, it meant feline in her language for the infant had intense green eyes and a shock of golden red hair in a tone nobody had seen before. She also had her mother's ears and soon became the darling of everybody in the valley.

Torla did grow fast, in fact she grew so fast it shocked them all. By six months she could walk with some help and she was almost talking too. Aytha was a perfect mom, to her the entire world now consisted of her daughter and nothing else and she was doing an excellent job teaching the little one the things she needed to know. Belegorno too helped out a lot and Elrond was relieved to see that the relationship between the two got closer and closer. They had in fact become a family and even though Elrond felt that sting each time he saw her with her new partner he accepted it. Aytha was happy and that was all that mattered. Galadriel had almost fallen in love with Torla and sent a lot of gifts from Lothlorien and Arwen too spent a lot of time playing with the girl, children were after all rare so everybody tried to help out with their rearing.

When Torla was five Aytha and Glorfindel accidentally met during a feast, they sort of bumped into each other and before they could go their separate ways Aytha sort of stared at him and gasped and Glorfindel swore so bad many elves there just gaped and stared with huge eyes. It happened again! Once more the urge descended upon them and Fin strolled out of the hall looking as if he was searching for the nearest balrog, just to escape. He had stopped seeing Belegorno now and was wooing some other warrior instead and this he didn't like, not even a bit! Aytha was calmer now than the last time, she knew he would give in eventually and in fact he did. After a week of pining he came to the house where she lived in the late evening and apparently he did what had to be done but not with anything even resembling joy. Aytha accepted it with an odd type of calm, she was happy in her own way and welcomed the fact that she was to be a mother again wholeheartedly and she didn't care if Fin didn't love her or wanted her.

This time the pregnancy was an easy one and she had a rather quick birth too. It only lasted a few hours and she was nowhere near as scared as she had been when Torla was born. This time it was a boy, so alike his dad it had to cause problems later on but for now everybody was just happy that Aytha was alright. She had started to learn about healing and had a true talent when it came to using herbs and Elrond knew she was very gifted in oh so many ways. She had a talent when it came to drawing and painting and she designed new robes for Elrond and his family. She also helped out with the livestock whenever it was needed and she had become an important and well loved member of their community. The boy was named Ahraban which meant sunborn since he was born at sunrise and Aytha was so glad he never would have to face the hardships boys of her tribe had had to endure. Fin sort of approached his son a few times, very reluctantly but with obvious curiosity for the young one was like his sister, grew fast and with an unusual amount of body control and intelligence. Aytha was very happy and her family well taken care off too. In Imladris everybody knew the truth of her odd little brood and nobody said anything negative about her or the children for they knew. Elrond was worried though, sooner or later someone would look at her dark haired noldo husband and the two red blond elflings and put two and two together and get five.

Ahraban was ten and Torla fifteen when it yet again happened, Fin and Aytha was drawn together like moths to a flame yet again and this time the balrog slayer just threw her over his shoulder and took off to find a private place to do the deed just to get it over with. Aytha emerged again looking like a cat who has found an unguarded bowl of cream and Fin looked so sour he could have spoiled milk had he stared at it. Belegorno was the one who felt sad now, he would have loved to father children of his own and yet that was denied him, while Fin who didn't want any already had two. This time Aytha soon discovered that she was carrying twins and Elrond got nervous yet again. She grew in circumference rather fast and felt tired much of the time. Belegorno was supportive as always and tried to help her in every way that he could and it was rather obvious that his feelings towards her had grown to deep affection by now. Aytha did have two boys in early spring, both with the same golden red hair as their siblings and both with green eyes and much of her features. She named them Rhuban and Thaibu which meant wolf and bear in her native tongue. Some were mocking Glorfindel a bit and challenging him to beat Fëanor when it came to fertility and he just sneered back and refused to answer. It wasn't that he didn't feel anything towards his children, for he did. He just didn't feel that he somehow deserved them, and he loathed the manner in which they were conceived. Aytha became a very good healer and for many years things were fine, everyday life in Imladris went on as usual, with the occasional orc fight and worries about Sauron's increasing power. Just before the one ring was rediscovered and sent off with the fellowship Aytha and Glorfindel felt the urge yet again, this time she had a girl she named Umhar which meant flower. Her sons became fierce warriors and hunters and her daughters were already renowned for their beauty and also their cleverness and brave attitude. She taught her children well and they never covered for anyone, even those who questioned their legitimacy.

Elrond started to prepare to leave when the one ring was destroyed, it broke his heart to leave this land of his birth but he couldn't stay, the power of his own ring had diminished and he knew that the time of mankind had come. Glorfindel had started to thaw a bit, he spent more time with his children now and they sort of accepted his shortcomings, they understood that their family was an odd one indeed. Aytha and her family decided to follow Elrond to Aman and she was excited to meet new people and see new places. Elrond on the other hand was worried, she was with child yet again and he feared that people would start treating her with disrespect if they found out the truth about her many offspring.

All of her other children had reached their majority by now and were adults and they were a fierce bunch who would stop at nothing to protect their mother. Aytha gave birth while on the boat, they hadn't expected the baby to be born until they reached Tol Erressea but she came early and this birth was a very difficult one. Elrond was rather sure that this was the last child she would ever carry, her womb too damaged for another conception. When they reached the blessed realm it was with a newborn among them and Aytha was so focused upon her little one she didn't have time to notice much else. Elrond got Belegorno and her a house not far from the coast in a village close to Valmar and her children settled in there too. Elrond was busy reconnecting with Celebrian and mourning the fact that his daughter had chosen mortality and he didn't really find the time to visit Aytha that often.

But she became noticed by the elves living in the area, not only for her special appearance but also for her skills and her kindness and if they did look at her dark husband and her blonde kids they didn't make any remarks about it. It was none of their business after all. Her latest daughter grew more slowly than the others and she had some problems learning to speak so Aytha spent much time at home with Nhuray, the name meant bold one and it was fitting for this kid didn't back off from anything,. She had an almost insane amount of curiosity and no sense of propriety and so problems started brewing.

At first only the neighbours would laugh and shake their heads and say she would grow out of it, after all, kids are kids. But Aytha and her family got invited to Tirion by Elrond and that was when Nhuray and her siblings really caught the eye of the gossip makers. Before long it was common knowledge that Aytha was some sort of whore and that Belegorno probably was infertile since none of the kids could be his. Elrond was in despair and tried to do his best to stop the most vicious of the rumours but he failed. This was juicy stuff and many ellith were jealous of Aytha's obvious fertility.

Her grown children were by her side always and her sons did by now look so much like their father many did realize who their sire was. It caused an uproar, an elleth carrying the children of someone else than her husband? And such a famous ellon too? This was not acceptable and some of the more pious elves there wanted Aytha and her family removed from Aman and sent back to middle earth so her corruption wouldn't spread. Her oldest son beat up one particularly mean ellon and Torla chased off some condescending ellith with some shouts and a language that would have made a balrog faint. The rescue came from a rather unexpected place, suddenly maiar started to visit Aytha, asking for information about her world and her people and she told them everything willingly. Even some of Namo's servants showed up and at first some thought that she would be told to leave for certainly the valar wouldn't accept her way of living? But no such thing happened, instead Aytha was being treated with the outmost respect and even Manwë himself visited her home and kept dropping by rather often too. He found her tales fascinating and soon she was regarded as one in his favour.

Belegorno had met the one he once lost by now and he moved into their home, it did raise quite a few eyebrows but since the valar obviously didn't react to it others too stopped seeing it as odd. Strangely enough Glorfindel too changed whence he came to Aman, he visited rather often as well and after some years he too became a resident of the by now rather crowded home. He did publicly confess that the children of Aytha were his too, and he refused to allow anyone to question the value of any of them. They had been born out of wedlock but so what?

Aytha had revealed an odd talent, many elves still stayed in the halls, too traumatized to be able to handle being re-embodied but she seemed to have a sort of soothing effect on their mangled spirits and she started working for Namo too. By now she was a very important person with a lot of power and the valar realized that her race probably were meant to be even more powerful than an average maia but the world in which they had lived had been so tough survival was all they really had had the energy for.

Elrond and Celebrian came by every now and then, they had gotten back to the love they had shared and Celebrian knew of Aytha and accepted that Elrond had a soft spot for her. Aytha was happy with Belegorno and his true love Faelar, and Glorfindel had also found his one in a very sweet and pretty vanyar named Gilion and they had indeed become a rather odd extended family. Slowly other elves too realized that perhaps the rules weren't as strict as they had believed them to be and same gender couples became more normal, relationships with more than just two involved too.

Aytha had grown in confidence, she carried herself like a queen and Manwë had publically called her the representative of a world now lost, the queen of a forgotten people, alive just through her and her children. Luckily all of her kids proved to be very fertile too and soon there were a small tribe there of elves with long and flexible ears and large eyes. All had a streak of red in their hair and were tall and strong and as their number grew they formed a society of their own. Aytha taught them all she remembered about her previous life and made sure that everything was remembered for the future. One day they would fight the dark enemy in a final battle and those with her blood in their veins would be something the orcs would fear for they could fight like the wild wolves of the white plains, like the huge cats stalking the huge herds of bison. They were fierce and not bound by the same laws as the other elves and Aytha knew with pride that her legacy would live on.

Her blood ran in many brave warriors now, and in many fair ellith and Glorfindel too was beside himself with a deep love he never had dared to feel before. Until the day the doors of the night opened to release its prisoner she was content and she knew that the shaman had been right after all. She had found happiness, more of it than she could ever imagine and even if it hurt thinking of the world she had left behind and those who perished their legacy lived on through her and her growing kin. It was all she had ever wanted, it was all she would ever need.


End file.
